SlytherGrin
by Comickazi13
Summary: Allegra Yollesgrave is a proud Slytherin with a crush on Draco Malfoy. That doesn't seem strange. In fact, that sounds like this story would be boring. But what is strange is her chipper attitude and violent mood swings that aren't necessarily...normal...
1. Ankle and Mr Cuddles

Whimsy and Allegra were the best of friends. They were the types of girls who would have conversations about the boys that they liked for hours on end, who would have sleepovers and stay up until they had to blink their eyes hard to keep from falling asleep, and who would swap stories about their random encounters with people they both knew. Yes, they were the best of friends. And they were both witches attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Whimsy was in Ravenclaw house. She was the smartest girl Allegra had ever met. And she came from a fairly nice line of witches and wizards. Her ancestors had literally invented the textbook oh so long ago. She had cinnamon-colored hair that cascaded and curled in a gentle mass down her back. Her green eyes scrutinized everything through frameless glasses. She was tall and willowy, making her very graceful and beautiful with her sharp features.

Allegra was in Slytherin house. Yet, she was probably the most chipper and pleasant Slytherin who ever lived. She too came from a fine lineage of pureblood Slytherins, dating all the way back to the opening of Hogwarts ages ago. Her thick, dark blonde hair was always pulled up in a sideways ponytail. The black-rimmed glasses she wore magnified her already-large brown eyes. While Whimsy was tall and willowy, Allegra was on the short side and was a bit more solid, having a more curved chest and waist than her friend. And Allegra's features were softer and rounder, complimenting her heart-shaped face.

And at the moment, Allegra was limping, supported on Whimsy's shoulder and grimacing from the stiffness in her ankle. She dragged a black-handled broomstick behind her.

"Allegra, darling!" cried her mother, Marina Yollesgrave, as she ran to her daughter. "What in the name of Merlin happened to you?"

"I fell off my broom," Allegra blushed. "I was trying to do a trick."

"It was my fault, Mrs. Yollesgrave," Whimsy said, raising her hand. "I suggested that she try it. I read about a flyer attempting it and I thought Allegra could do it."

"Oh, dear, I don't blame you," Marina sighed. "Just be more careful next time. Darling, where does it hurt?"

"My ankle," Allegra sniffled. "I landed on it funny."

"Well go and rest in the drawing room and I'll send your father in to take a look at it."

Whimsy helped Allegra hobble into the drawing room and sat her down on a black, velvet sofa. Most everything in the Yollesgrave household was black. The only exception was Allegra's room, which was painted and filled with colorful things. She was truly the ironic black sheep of the family.

"Here," Whimsy whispered softly as she offered her friend a black cushion. "Elevate your ankle."

Allegra did was she was told. Her face split into a grin when she saw her father, Olave Yollesgrave, enter the room.

"DADDY!" she squealed, reaching her arms out to hug her father. Olave seemed a bit put out by his daughter's behavior, but leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Good afternoon, Allegra," he said. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I fell off my broom, Daddy. And I landed on my ankle funny. Can you fix it, please?"

Olave was a healer, renowned for his abilities. His daughter's twisted ankle would probably be the least of his worries. He patted her head and adjusted the pillow beneath Allegra's foot.

"Just keep your ankle up and I'll go get my wand to begin the process. But you'll probably have to stay off of it for a time." With that, the blonde-white-haired man disappeared through the doorway.

"What rotten luck," Allegra pouted as she examined her foot. "Just a few days away from going back to school and I fall off my broom." Her eyes grew as round as dinner plates and she gasped. "I'll be able to tell Mr. Cuddles goodbye, won't I?"

"Of course," Whimsy nodded, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Don't you worry."

Allegra rubbed her ankle and looked wistfully out the window. The large wooden shed outside shuddered for a moment. A flash of green and silver cloth glimmered from the window for a moment before disappearing again.

"Oh my darling Mr. Cuddles," Allegra sighed dramatically. "I shan't go to school without saying goodbye. I promise you, oh my lovely pet."

Whimsy rolled her eyes as Olave came back into the room. He drew his polished mahogany wand and pointed it at his daughter's ankle. With a quick blast of light, Allegra felt a short shock of pain through her foot before the stiffness went down. Olave leaned down and wrapped Allegra's ankle in bandages to keep her from bending it the wrong way while it healed.

"Now I'll have one of the servants take you down to the train station," he instructed his daughter. "Then I would hope that Whimsy would take you to an available compartment. I'll send along a letter to the headmaster letting him know that you've been injured and should have a companion for your classes."

"Will I be able to go out to visit Mr. Cuddles before I leave, Daddy?" Allegra smiled hopefully.

"Of course," Olave nodded before patting his daughter on her head and disappearing into his study on the opposite side of the drawing room.

"Did you hear that, Whimsy?" Allegra squealed. "I'll get to see Mr. Cuddles!"

"I told you not to worry," Whimsy smirked, rolling her eyes. She looked out the window as the shed shuddered again.

"OH!" Allegra exclaimed, standing up. She made sure to not put much weight on her afflicted leg. "That's right! I forgot to feed him today! I'm coming, my dearest darling!" With that, she hobbled out of the drawing room and into the yard. As she pulled the door to the shed open, she beamed at the sight that awaited her.

A twenty-three-and-a-half-foot-long basilisk was coiled up in the middle of the large room. His fangs, which should have been sharp and deadly, were dull and rather silly-looking. Since this particular basilisk was born blind, Allegra had gone through great pains to make him a pair of green and silver eye patches as well as a green and silver collar to show off her house pride. Sensing the presence of his owner, Mr. Cuddles' head rose and his forked tongue flicked out in greeting.

"Hello, you big, lovable basilisk, you," Allegra giggled as she reached out and petted his snout right between his large nostrils. She walked over to a bin at the side of the room without taking her fingertips off the basilisk's scaly skin. "Is Mummy's baby hungry?" she cooed as she opened it and retrieved what appeared to be the entire leg of a rather large cow. "Ooh! Mummy loves it when her baby eats all his yummy dinner!" She held the leg up to Mr. Cuddles' mouth.

The gaping jaws opened and swallowed the cow flank whole. Mr. Cuddles rejoiced with a long, happy hiss. Allegra clapped her hands and kissed the serpent on the tip of his nose.

"Good boy. Now, Mummy is going to have to go back to school in a few days. But don't forget that Mummy loves you so much, my dearest darling. I'll keep my picture of you right by my heart like always." She placed her hand on the silver locket that had been worn around her neck since as long as she could remember. Kissing the beast on its nose again, she walked back out the door.

"Allegra!" Whimsy shouted. "You need to get back inside. Don't forget about your ankle!"


	2. All Aboard!

Steam poured forth from the scarlet engine as Whimsy and Allegra boarded the Hogwarts Express. Whimsy's parents waved at the girls when they stuck their heads out of the window. When the girls found a suitable compartment, they settled in and began talking.

"I'm taking Divination this year," Allegra bubbled, massaging her ankle which was slightly sore from all the walking. "I'm so excited! Something about Professor Trelawney has always fascinated me." She stared airily off into the distance.

"Can't imagine why," Whimsy chuckled sarcastically. "I'm going to take Ancient Runes. You never know when things like that will come in handy."

"Oh but that sounds dreadfully boring," Allegra whined. "I hope we'll have a few classes together."

"I'm sure we'll have something."

"But Slytherin always gets paired up with Gryffindor for Potions doubles and I'm still in Advanced Charms."

"We had Care of Magical Creatures together last year," Whimsy pointed out. "I'll bet that Hagrid wouldn't dream of separating us after we tackled the unit on salamanders with such skill."

"True," Allegra nodded. "Maybe this year we'll learn about basilisks! I already know so much about them from looking after Mr. Cuddles, but as you say, you can always learn something new." She beamed at her knowledgeable friend through the lenses in her glasses.

"I doubt that such a deadly creature could be allowed on the syllabus. Still, I would imagine that Hippogriffs would be banned as well, especially after Malfoy got his arm injured by the one in Third Year." Whimsy looked over to see her blonde friend staring dreamily out the window. She rolled her eyes. "Allegra?" No response. "Allegra? Allegra Yollesgrave? Yoo-hoo!" She snapped her fingers in front of Allegra's nose.

"Oh! Excuse me," Allegra sighed. "I sort of tuned you out when you said…_Malfoy_…"

It was no surprise to anyone who knew Allegra fairly well that she had the biggest crush on the Slytherin bad boy, Draco Malfoy. Being as dramatic as she was, Allegra would moon and pine over this boy for hours while Whimsy simply pulled out a book to read or some homework to do. However, Allegra had a strange affliction. Whenever she talked to Draco Malfoy, she would instantly become just as big a snob as he was. Consequently, they would get into bombastic arguments over whose family was better or purer or some other horse-feathers like that. Usually, these arguments would become roaring crusades, ending with Allegra losing her temper and coming close to exploding.

Whimsy rolled her eyes and stood up to get to her trunk. Unlatching it, she pulled out a copy of _Ancient Runes Made Easy _by Laurenzoo before sitting back down and cracking it open.

"Why won't he notice how my hardened exterior is simply a façade to mask my true feelings for him?" Allegra sighed. She stood up and placed the back of her hand on her forehead. "Oh, Whimsy, how I long to caress that wonderful boy's handsome face and to comb my fingers through his brilliant, blonde hair!"

"Mmhmm," Whimsy nodded. She flipped a page in her book.

"How I wish to sit next to him in the Great Hall, having his arm around my waist for all to see!"

"Mmhmm." She flipped another page.

"What I wouldn't _give_ to stare into his gray eyes for days!"

"Mmhmm." Another page down…

"How I long for…Whimsy, are you listening to me?"

"Stare into his gray eyes for days," Whimsy mumbled, not taking her eyes off the text she was scanning. "Next is 'How I long for his sweet, gentle lips to touch mine in the very symbol of ever-lasting passion.'"

"Oh…right," Allegra said, slightly puzzled, but her spirits could not be dampened. "How I long for…Oh bloody hell! Speak of the devil..." Allegra's spine stiffened and she plopped down in her seat, sticking her nose up in the air as Draco Malfoy stalked by the window-doors of the compartment. His two cronies Crabbe and Goyle lumbered behind him. The boy slid the door open and poked his head in.

"All right there, Yollesgrave?" Draco smirked teasingly.

"I _was_ before _you_ came along, Malfoy," Allegra snorted, turning her face away. Draco seemed to take this as an invitation and weaseled through the doors, seating himself next to his fellow Slytherin. Crabbe and Goyle looked slightly confused until Draco shot them a death glare.

"Go wait for me in our compartment," he ordered. His cronies disappeared. Draco stretched his arms back around his neck before cocking his head to one side and firing the first round in this battle. "Y'know, Yollesgrave, my father bought me the newest broom for this year's Quidditch season."

"Well, that was nice of him," Allegra chuckled. "It's always good for a father to make sure that his child is well-equipped for the year ahead. Now, _my_ father treated my twisted ankle before I left home _and_ wrote a letter informing Dumbledore of my state. I'll be having an escort to all my classes for the first few months until my ankle heals." She left out the part about how she hoped and prayed that Draco would be chosen to be her escort or at least ask for the privilege. "Can _your_ father heal your wounds?"

"No," Draco admitted. "But why would he need to when I have about a thousand servants at my beck and call to do the job for me? My father is a busy man. I would hate to disturb him from his work just to tend to _my_ silly needs." He shot her a disdainful look.

"Funny how you wouldn't dare disturb your father with your needs, yet you would barge in on two perfectly content ladies to disturb them with your ridiculous drabbling," Allegra huffed. She turned her head away from Draco, but not her mind.

"Hm," Draco snorted. "I only see one lady in this room. And I do believe she's wearing _Ravenclaw_ robes." Allegra's head snapped back in his direction and her eyes narrowed.

"I would leave my friend out of this if I were you," she growled testily. She concealed her jealousy, subduing it only because she knew that Whimsy did not care for Draco.

"Don't you _dare_ tell me what to do," Draco replied, slightly louder. "I am your superior."

"Superior my _wand_!" Allegra said, even louder. "Are you saying that my family isn't as good as your family?"

"Yes, I am!" Draco shouted. "Because it's true!"

"Go boil your head!" Allegra yelled, getting to her feet and concealing the wince that flashed across her face when pain shot through her ankle. "My family is _twice_ as good as yours!"

"Oh? Prove it!" Draco stood up and stepped towards Allegra.

"I don't have to prove _anything_ to a worthless Mandrake-Muncher like you!" Allegra pushed herself up so the arguers were a hair's width apart.

"FINE! I'll just leave then!"

"Good riddance!" Allegra shrieked as Draco slammed the compartment door and stomped back down the car. When he was out of eyesight, the girl plopped down on her seat. "Our noses touched," she giggled as she stared back out the window.

"Mmhmm," Whimsy replied placidly, turning yet another page in her book.


	3. Charms

Allegra was at the top of her class in Charms. She had been in Advanced Charms ever since her second year when Professor Flitwick had noticed her amazing skill at "wand-waving."

Naturally, this meant that she had summer homework in this class. And that summer, she was instructed to compile a list of spells to perform in front of several lower classes. As Allegra shuffled off to one of these meetings, she ran over her list again. Reaching into her book bag, she pulled out a tiny pumpkin that she was planning to use for her presentation.

"Good afternoon, Miss Yollesgrave," Professor Flitwick greeted her as she entered the classroom. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited another House to join us."

"Of course I don't mind, Professor," Allegra smiled. Usually, only Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were in this class. "Which House?"

"Your House," Professor Flitwick said over his shoulder. "Slytherin."

Allegra froze, her grip tightening on the tiny pumpkin. But she knew she had to act like nothing was wrong for her favorite professor.

"Alright, everyone, settle down! Miss Yollesgrave has arrived to give her presentation."

"Yollesgrave!" a snide voice called. "Try not to blow anything up!"

"MALFOY!" Flitwick squeaked.

"It's quite alright, Professor," Allegra smirked. She shot a look at Draco before placing the pumpkin on the floor. "_Engorgio!_"

The pumpkin began to swell and grow until it became about the size of one of the gourds in Hagrid's vegetable garden.

Allegra twirled her 9 ½ inch-long, yew and unicorn hair wand between her fingers before gripping the handle and pointing it at the pumpkin.

"Keep your heads down and your eyes up. _Confringo!_" The pumpkin bulged for a moment before exploding, throwing goop and seeds all over the students. Draco found himself with a strand of orange slime across his face. He grimaced and shuddered. "Pardon," Allegra chuckled. "Allow me to get that for you, Malfoy." She pointed her wand directly at his face. He winced and whimpered as if afraid she would hit him. "_Aguamenti!_"

Water spurted out of her wand and splashed Draco mercilessly in his face. He sputtered indignantly and dried his face on the sleeve of his robe when Allegra had moved on.

"Now I'll need a volunteer," Allegra giggled. "How about you, Malfoy, pal? _Leviocorpus!_"

Draco suddenly flipped into the air, hanging as if strung up by his ankles. His face grew panicked and his eyes bulged.

"Put me down! I'll tell my father about this! PUT ME DOWN!"

"_Liberacorpus!_" Allegra said, lowering the red-faced Draco back into his seat. "And now for my grand finale!" She closed her eyes to focus. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

A silver stream of light swam out of her wand and took on the shape of a playful dolphin. As it paddled through the air, it ducked around people, leaving a misty trail behind it.

"Marvelous!" Professor Flitwick squealed, clapping his little hands as he stared up at the graceful creature. "Excellent job, Miss Yollesgrave!"

Allegra's patronus evaporated as she took a bow and flashed a sly grin at her adversary.

"YOU'VE BEEN _DAZZLED_!" she shouted dramatically before taking another bow. The Hufflepuffs exploded with gleeful applause, the Ravenclaws clapped politely, and the Slytherins rolled their eyes, applauding only after Professor Flitwick informed them that Slytherin would receive ten points.


	4. Potions

Like any other student, Allegra had her good classes (like Charms) and her horrible classes (like Potions). There was something about Potions that just did not allow Allegra to focus. Consequently, there were many times that she would find herself pouring a little too much of one ingredient or another in her cauldron.

_BOOM!_

Obviously, this was one of those times. If not for the thick, yellow paste all over her face, everyone in the vicinity would have seen the intense blush blooming on Allegra Yollesgrave's cheeks.

"Oops…"

"Miss Yollesgrave," Professor Snape moaned as he hovered over to her, "how many times are you intending to damage my classroom?"

"Sorry, Professor," Allegra mumbled, looking at her desk.

"Well, since it seems that you cannot concoct a burn-healing paste properly, I'd like to see your five-thousand word essay on its effects on my desk on Thursday."

"F-Five-_thousand_?"

"Five-thousand," Snape growled dangerously. "Don't think that since you are in my House, you'll get away with things like this."

"Yes, Professor," Allegra sighed. "I understand." She began to clean up the space she had been working in. Was it her fault that Draco Malfoy presented better daydreaming possibilities than potions? As she ran her sponge over the mess, she slipped into a fantasy…

_"Oh, Allegra! How could I have known that the love of my life was right in front of my nose? Divine angel!"_

_ "Draco, do not be saddened. We are together at last and nothing shall part us."_

_ "Kiss me, Allegra, that I may know what Heaven truly is!"_

"Oh, Draco…"

"What?"

Allegra popped out of her mind to see Draco standing in front of her. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered as Draco smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh…_you_ made me break concentration," Allegra pouted. "This is all _your_ fault, you no-good Mandrake-Muncher!" With that, she gathered up her books and stormed out, nose in the air and hips swerving indignantly.


	5. Frengeorge

Whimsy was relaxing under a tree while doing her Charms homework when Allegra ran up to her in tears.

"Whimsy, I completely embarrassed myself in Potions today!" she sobbed. Whimsy put down her quill and rolled up her parchment.

"No offense, Allegra, but don't you do that every day? I mean, dear, you're rather accident prone."

"If you are referring to my little paste explosion, that's _not_ what _I'm_ talking about," Allegra grimaced, popping her hip and folding her arms over her chest. "Snape gave me extra homework while I was cleaning up the mess…"

"So?"

"_So_ I started daydreaming about…_Draco_… and I accidentally started talking out loud. And he _heard_ me! Do you think he knows?" Allegra looked around to see if they were being eavesdropped on. When she looked up in the tree, she saw two strands of something pink. Extendable ears! She yanked on them and two red-headed twins tumbled to the ground.

"You fancy _Malfoy_?" Fred Weasley grinned as he got to his feet. He leaned over and helped his brother George up.

"Well, _I_ wouldn't go for him," George informed Allegra.

"Of course, if he had a nice girlfriend like you…" Fred chuckled.

"Then maybe he'd actually be pleasant," George finished for him. "Speaking of girlfriends…"

"Hello, love," they said together, bending over and kissing Whimsy on a cheek each. They'd been sharing her (which she didn't seem to mind) for a bit and both were totally devoted. Ironically, Whimsy could not really tell the difference between the two, yet Allegra found it all-too obvious.

"Hello, boys," Whimsy smiled. "Have you finished the Transfiguration homework?"

"No," Fred chuckled. "Why do today…"

"What you could put off until tomorrow?" George continued. "Besides, we've got Quidditch practice."

"You commin' to the match, love?" Fred asked, slinging his arm around Whimsy's shoulder.

"Cuz we couldn't be proper Beaters without our girlfriend cheering us on," George grinned, lying in Whimsy's lap. "Oh…Allegra…"

"Sorry for what we're going to do to your House team," Fred teased. "We'll do our best to not knock little Drakey-Wakey off his broom."

"But then if we did," George snorted as he sat up, "you could nurse him _lovingly_ back to health."

"Then he'd fall _madly_ in love with you," Fred grinned. He poked his brother. "Oi, maybe we _should_ whack Malfoy a bit."

"You better not!" Allegra gasped, holding her hands up to her face in shock.

"Don't worry, Legzie," George laughed. "We won't hurt your widdle Dwaco…on purpose." He and Fred winked at the same time with the same eye. (It's a twin thing.)

"Leave me alone," Allegra rolled her eyes. "You two are insufferable."

"Aw, Legzie, we were only joking," Fred chuckled.

"Yeah, get a sense of humor," George said, gently shoving his friend. "Well, we've got to get to practice."

"See you later, love," they said together before kissing Whimsy again. "See you later, Allegra."


	6. Potter Encounter

Whimsy was a broom acrobatics artist. She had been doing flips and turns on a broom ever since she was a toddler. She knew every historic trick in existence and had perfected them all.

Allegra, on the other hand, could hardly ride a broom in a straight line. And the straightness of that line was debatable. So, as she climbed aboard her Nimbus 2001, she braced herself (and her ankle) before kicking off.

Whimsy was practicing a few barrel rolls when she saw her friend.

"Allegra Yollesgrave!" she shouted, swerving towards her. "Get out of the sky, _immediately_!" She pulled up to Allegra and grabbed the black broom handle. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

"I got lonely," Allegra shrugged as they descended. "It's no fun watching you practice when I can't fly too." They touched down and Whimsy grabbed Allegra's shoulder firmly.

"You _must_ write your Potions essay," she insisted. "Then you can relax." She'd been pushing this particular point for the last hour. Allegra had put it off out of defiance. Whimsy knew that Allegra could pull it together at the last minute, but what kind of best friend would she be if she didn't stress the things that were important?

"Whimsy," Allegra whined. "C'mon. Just one ride around the Quidditch pitch!"

"And what about your ankle?" Whimsy pressed.

"Oh, you're a true Ravenclaw," Allegra groaned. "Always too logical."

"And _you're_ a true Hufflepuff," Whimsy replied teasingly.

"Well, Hufflepuffs _do_ have all the fun," Allegra giggled, sitting back down on the lawn. "And I'll have you know that Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders." She grabbed her quill and brandished it like a sword. "FIND!"

Whimsy rolled her eyes and ruffled Allegra's hair before mounting her own broom again.

"Well, I must go through my routine once more and then I'll come back down and help you with your essay. But get to work, okay?"

"Okiedokie!" Allegra chirped before diving into the assignment.

When Whimsy kicked off and sailed back into the sky, who should walk by but…

"Hi, Harry Potter!" Allegra grinned. "Off to visit Hagrid?"

"Yes, actually…Erm…I don't think we've met before," Harry said, confused.

"Allegra Yollesgrave," Allegra introduced herself. "We have Potions doubles together. Gryffindor and Slytherin."

Harry's eyebrows shot up on his face with the immediate distrust he felt.

"Would you like to join me? I'm doing homework. See?" She held up the beginnings of her essay.

"Perhaps another time," Harry nodded, feigning a smile before walking away quickly.


	7. Chat with Parkinson

Allegra carefully sat down next to Pansy Parkinson during Slytherin study in the library.

"Hello, Parkinson," she smiled benignly. Pansy ignored her. "So I hear you like Malfoy."

"No, I don't like him," Pansy snorted. "I'm _in love_ with him."

"So what do you know about him?" Allegra asked.

"What?"

"Does his hair smell good?"

"Excuse me?"

"Does he use hair gel?"

"I…"

"Which dormitory is he in? What does he look like when he's asleep? Does his hair fall lightly into his face as he gently snores? DOES HE?" She was now standing with her face inches away from Pansy's.

"Why do _you_ care?" Pansy asked. "You hate him." With that, the black-haired girl stalked over to Draco's table, sitting down and smiling flirtatiously.

Allegra bit her lower lip as she asked permission to use the restroom.


	8. House Spirit

The day of the first Quidditch match of the year finally came. Gryffindors and Slytherins were in a frenzy of team spirit. And no one had as much House pride as one Slytherin Allegra Yollesgrave.

Whimsy was studying for her Runes test in the Great Hall. She was very absorbed in her notes when a chipper voice sounded in her ears.

"WHIMSY!"

Whimsy looked up and her eyebrows shot up on her face. At first, she thought that her glasses were beyond smudged. She whipped them off and polished them on the sleeve of her robes. But as she put them back on her face, she saw that she was not seeing things.

Allegra had painted one half of her face green and the other half of her face silver. A pin about the size of a Bludger depicting the Slytherin serpent rearing and striking was fastened to the chest of her robes. Long green and silver ribbons cascaded from Allegra's side ponytail to her waist and constantly seemed to get tangled around the Slytherin pennant fluttering in her hand.

"Erm…Today wouldn't happen to be the match between Slytherin and Gryfffindor, would it?" Whimsy said, trying to conceal her laughter.

"Yes, yes, YES!" Allegra squealed, twirling around to reveal her green and silver socks beneath her robes. "GOOOO SLYTHERIN!" She leapt up in the air, waving the pennant madly. But the stick got caught in the ribbons and Allegra yelped as it pulled her hair. But this didn't dampen her spirits for long. "Are you going to the match?" she giggled hopefully.

"I have to," Whimsy smiled. "The boys are playing."

"Ah, yes. Frengeorge." Allegra chuckled and adjusted her pin. The snake hissed at it was moved. "I can't wait for the match. I hope we win. It's rather annoying that we've never won a match against Gryffindor since Harry Potter started playing Seeker…Come to think of it, _no one_ has won a game against Gryffindor since Harry joined the team." She cocked her head to one side, allowing her ribbons to grace the floor slightly. "I wonder if they're cheating…"

"To be honest, Allegra," Whimsy smirked, "cheating sounds more like a Slytherin thing than a Gryffindor thing."

Allegra waved her pennant and tossed her head back to the ceiling.

"GOOOO SLYTHERIN!" she yelled again. Pulling out her wand, she sent up a number of silver sparks as green ones might end up with her sent to the headmaster's office under suspicion of using a bad curse. "That's my cheer for today. Do you think I should make a snake like this?" She flicked her wand and the sparks began swerving through the air in the shape of a serpent.

"Nothing is too much for the queen of House Spirit," Whimsy laughed.

"Thank you, thank you," Allegra hooted, imitating the Queen of England. She even cupped her free hand and rotated her wrist as the queen did. She giggled and retrieved her wand, sending up another round of silver sparks.

"Oi, Yollesgrave!" shouted a nondescript First Year from the Slytherin table. "We're gonna mop the floor with those Gryffindors, right?"

"You bet!" Allegra grinned.

"Even _First Years_ call you by your last name?"

"It's the only name they've heard me called," Allegra shrugged. "It's kind of a Slytherin thing. Have you noticed that Parkinson is the only one of us who has ever called Draco by his first name to his face?"

Whimsy thought about it for a while before nodding in agreement.

"Come to think of it," she said, "you're right."

"I know just about all there is to know about Slytherins throughout the years," Allegra chuckled. "I have all my family tree for references. It's a wonder they didn't accidentally inbreed."

"It's a good thing you plan on marrying another Slytherin," Whimsy teased. "Your parents might disinherit you if you considered any other House union."

"I don't plan on _marrying_ Draco," Allegra blushed through her face paint. "Although…I wouldn't mind." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, causing her makeup to smear into glittery green. "Oh! I need to fix this before the match!" With that, Allegra reached into her robe pocket, pulled out two tubes of face paint, and disappeared through the Great Hall's doors to find a bathroom.

Whimsy chuckled to herself before reaching into her own pocket and sneaking a peek at the little Gryffindor pin in the palm of her hand.


	9. Do Not Cry, Allegra

It was a quiet afternoon at Hogwarts…except for the two guffawing Gryffindor Beaters chased by an outraged Slytherin fan.

"How dare you!" Allegra hollered at them as lines began to crease in the dry makeup on her face. Her hand was clamped over the side of her head where her ponytail sprouted. "Give me my ribbons!"

Fred waved a long, green strip of fabric behind him as George twirled a silver one.

"But we won!" Fred laughed.

"To the victor goes the spoils," George quoted, waving the silver ribbon over his head like a lasso.

"Why don't you ever torture your biological sister?" Allegra wailed, grabbing for the back of Fred's Quidditch uniform.

"Ginny is fun to bother," Fred shrugged.

"But you're much more dramatic," George finished for his twin.

Allegra began to sniffle. She plopped herself down on the floor, buried her face in her hands, and began to sob loudly. Her back heaved as she breathed out of rhythm. Fred and George skidded to a halt, their ginger heads whipping around in utter terror.

"Allegra!" they shouted in unison. They ran over to the blonde girl and kneeled beside her.

"Don't cry, Legzie," Fred begged, shakily tying the green ribbon around her ponytail.

"We didn't mean any harm," George promised, looping the silver ribbon into a messy bow.

"Please stop crying," Fred said softly, going to put his arm around Allegra's shoulders.

"Okay!" she chirped, her head popping up. She stood, dusted herself off, and skipped towards the Slytherin common room. "By the way," she said menacingly over her shoulder, "if a Bludger _ever_ gets that close to Draco again, I'll hex you." She then disappeared around the corner.

"Bloody hell," George gasped.

"Cunning vixen," Fred breathed.

"Perfect Slytherin," they nodded together.

...

"I wonder if there is such a thing as a weresnake," Allegra pondered as she fiddled with her locket.

"I've never heard of one," Whimsy replied, scribbling another paragraph on her Herbology essay. "Maybe you should ask Hagrid."

"_That_ great oaf?" a snide voice laughed. Draco Malfoy strutted by, again flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "My father was horrified when he found out that he was teaching classes."

Allegra's ears perked up and her upper lip twitched slightly, baring her teeth for a brief moment.

"_My_ father thinks it's an excellent idea," she announced loudly. This was a lie. Her father knew nothing of the Care of Magical Creatures professor.

"Oh does he?" Draco smirked. "Doesn't he have any respect for his pureblood heritage? You've told me yourself, Yollesgrave, that your ancestors were the first Slytherins at Hogwarts."

"He's _very_ proud of his lineage!" Allegra puffed. "And so am I!"

"HAH! You'd never know from the way you act," Draco said, raising his eyebrows as he went in for the kill. "Running about with the wrong sort all the time and being so friendly with mudbloods and Squibs. You're more like a filthy Muggle than a proud pureblood."

Those words dug into Allegra's heart like a knife. She bit back tears as she shouted out her reply.

"MANDRAKE-MUNCHER!"

Draco snorted disdainfully as he watched Allegra run away.

"Draco Malfoy," a measured voice said behind him. He whirled around to see that cinnamon-haired Ravenclaw from the train. "Allegra Yollesgrave is my best friend and has been ever since we first met as children. I won't stand by and watch you tear her down like that."

"Oh?" Draco choked on his laughter. "And what exactly do you plan on doing about that?"

There was a crack and a howl and Draco went reeling back into the arms of his surprised cronies. Whimsy shook her hand out, silently cursing the pain in her fist. As the three Slytherins scampered away to the Hospital wing (Draco's nose was bleeding), Whimsy began to glide off to find where Allegra had settled to cry.


	10. He IS tortured!

Allegra Yollesgrave didn't cry often. She was too happy and a bit air-headed to let anything a jealous student said get to her. But that insult that Draco had flung at her hurt more than any other insult hat he could have been said.

Allegra had run to a long hallway, ducked behind a winged-pig statue, and slid down the wall until she was kneeling on the floor. Then, and only then, she buried her face in her hands and let _real_ tears flood out of her eyes.

Whimsy poked her head around the corner and settled down next to her best friend. Slowly, she put her arm around Allegra and swayed gently.

"Don't let Draco Malfoy control you like this. He's not worth it if he makes you cry."

"B-But that's just the thing," Allegra blubbered. "H-He may seem like h-he's so nasty, but I know that d-deep d-down he's just a t-tortured soul!" She burst into a fresh wave of tears, her shoulders vibrating as she wailed.

"Draco Malfoy? Tortured?" Whimsy snorted. "_That_ will happen when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named comes back from the dead and does a little tap-dance routine to celebrate."

"Draco _is_ tortured!" Allegra insisted. "I just_ know _he is. And I desperately want to make him happy…if only I knew how."

Whimsy knew her brutal honesty wasn't really appreciated here, but she was not one for platitudes. So, she adjusted her glasses and gave Allegra's shoulder a pat.

"You know," she smiled, "when I'm feeling down, do you know what I do?"

"What?" Allegra sniffled pitiably.

"I study for my next quiz."

Allegra pouted and turned her head away sourly.

"_Or_," Whimsy continued, "I go for a quick fly around the Quidditch pitch with Fred and George. Would you like that?"

Allegra's mouth dropped open before turning up into a grin. The great thing about her was that although she was dramatic, it was quite quick before her mood changed back to positive. This made any heartbreak easy for her friend to edge around.

"Really?" Allegra beamed. "Even with me being so…awkward on a broom and all?"

"Really," Whimsy chuckled. "You'll have to learn sometime. Maybe you can charm your broom or something."

Allegra's face lit up even more, if that was possible. She reached into her robe and pulled out her wand. Her expression changed from excitement to downright awe.

"I'll meet you there," she whispered animatedly before dashing down the hall.


	11. Gryffindor Prejudice

Fred and George were already on the Quidditch pitch when Whimsy and Allegra arrived. They were talking to their brother Ron.

"Hey, Frengeorge," Allegra grinned. "Hi, Ron!"

Ron gave Allegra a look before waving unenthusiastically.

Whimsy kept her Ravenclaw "too-cool-for-you" exterior, but on the inside, she was getting frustrated. Days ago, Allegra had told her best friend about her run-in with Harry Potter. Whimsy noticed that many Gryffindors (Fred and George aside) were very icy to Allegra. Allegra hadn't seen this yet, but it made Whimsy a tad angry. Being quite intelligent, she recognized this as the prejudice against Slytherins. Granted, many Slytherins deserved the reputation for being sly, ambitious, and…well…_evil_, but Allegra was not among their ranks and Whimsy hated to see someone judge her on the spot like that.

"Come, Allegra," she said softly. "Let's put that enchantment on your broom." She took Allegra's shoulder and led her off.

"Ron seems nice," Allegra smiled. "_All_ the Weasleys at Hogwarts seem nice…Percy too!"

"Dear, you have a tendency to see the best in a person, even when it's not there."

"What do you mean?" Allegra blinked, cocking her head to one side.

"Nothing," Whimsy sighed. "Go work on that spell."

"Okiedokie!" Allegra chirped, waving her wand over her head. As the blonde carted her Nimbus 2001 off to the middle of the pitch, Whimsy stared after her with a worried expression.

"What's amiss, love?" Fred asked as he sauntered up to his shared girlfriend. George was still chatting with Ron.

"Nothing," Whimsy sighed again. "I worry about Allegra sometimes."

"Why's that?" Fred questioned, putting his arm around Whimsy's shoulder. "She's happy, isn't she?"

"Yes, as always. But…have you ever noticed how other students treat her?"

Fred paused to think for a moment, cradling his chin in his hand.

"Can't say I have, love," he shrugged. "Enlighten me. You should be good at that."

"Comments like _those_ are the problem," Whimsy grimaced, pulling away from Fred. "Not all Ravenclaws are geniuses." Fred gave her an Oh Please look. "Let me rephrase that. We're not geniuses in _everything_…at the same time."

"Mmhmm," Fred hummed. "And exactly what has that got to do with Legzie?"

"Well, if you didn't know her, what would you think of her?" Whimsy said.

"Huh?"

"I think students are judging Allegra based purely on the fact that she's a Slytherin. Do you see all the looks people give her? It's like she's a hardened criminal who can't be trusted."

Fred snorted and shook his head.

"No one is _judging_ Allegra," he grinned. "They're just intimidated by her because she's so talkative all the time."

"Didn't you see the look Ron just gave her?" Whimsy gasped exasperatedly. "He looked like he wouldn't trust her as far as he could throw her. It was almost like 'Stay away from me. Stay away from my family. Don't ask questions.' I just don't want people to make Allegra the antagonist before they even know what she's really like. I mean, _you_ know her, Fred. Does she seem like the 'take over the world' type to you?"

Fred shook his head and shrugged.

"I dunno what to tell you, love. Just don't worry about ol' Legzie. She either doesn't notice the looks or she doesn't care. Either way, that's fine, isn't it?"

Whimsy sighed and wrapped her arms around Fred's neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I hope you're right."

"Hey!" Allegra's voice chirped from the far end of the Quidditch pitch. "Are we going to fly or not?"


	12. Christmas is in the Air

Decorations were hung, evergreen trees were set up in the Great Hall, the smell of cinnamon wafted through the all the castle, and Christmas was in the air.

"_Deck the halls with boughs of holly! Fa la la la laaaa! La laaa laaa laaaa!_" Allegra sang as she skipped through the halls to deliver her presents to the faculty, a sprig of the aforementioned plant sticking out from her ponytail. She adjusted her glasses as she glanced up at the ghosts who were sharing a cup of cheer with the talking portraits. "Merry Christmas, everyone!" she squealed, waving excitedly.

"Happy holidays, Miss Yollesgrave," the deceased and depicted bowed solemnly in return.

The Slytherin didn't wait too long to continue on her way. She waved to students and teachers all the way to Filtch's office. The door creaked as she slowly opened it. Thankfully, no one was in. Allegra giggled as she entered. She reached for her wand and muttered an incantation.

Two objects appeared on Filtch's desk. One revealed itself to be a can of tuna fish with a label that read "Happy Holidays, Mrs. Norris." The other was a card with "Merry Christmas, Mr. Filtch. Love from, Allegra Yollesgrave" scrawled on it. Once it was settled, she smiled and closed the door softly.

"Now to pack," she sighed contentedly. On her way, she ran into Draco. "Oh. Hello, Malfoy," she said softly. Things hadn't quite been the same since the last argument.

"Yollesgrave," he replied.

"Where are Crabbe and Goyle?" Allegra asked, her volume still extremely low.

"Stuffing their faces in the Great Hall," Draco snorted. "They can be such pigs."

"Oh…Are you going home for Christmas?"

"Yes," Draco nodded. "But our house has been overrun with garden gnomes, so after Father sacked the groundskeeper, he decided that we'll be staying with a very refined family over the holidays."

"That sounds nice."

Draco raised an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest.

"Why so civil, Yollesgrave?"

"I…I…I have to go." And for the first time, Allegra and Draco did not begin a screaming match with each other.


	13. Malfoy's Surprise

"Mr. Cuddles!" Allegra cried out as she burst through the door to the shed beside the house. "My! How big you've grown!" She ran up and let the now 25-foot-long basilisk sniff her hand.

Mr. Cuddles did and once he identified Allegra, his mouth turned up in a serpentine smile. Letting out a happy hiss, he nudged his giant head under her hand. It wasn't too long before the first few feet of Mr. Cuddles' massive body was curled around Allegra's ankles in a gentle hug.

"Mummy missed you too, darling," Allegra cooed, sitting down in a convenient chair. "I'm sure we'll have a lovely Christmas." There was a knock at the door. "Oh! That must be the post. Whimsy must have sent me a letter already!" When she opened the door, though, it was a servant.

"Miss Yollesgrave, your father wishes to have an audience with you."

"Daddy? My, my! I wonder what it could be," Allegra gasped. She skipped into the house and entered the drawing room. Her mouth dropped open. "M-M-Mr. M-M-Malfoy?"

A sly smirk spread over Lucius Malfoy's face. He gave a knowing look to Olave Yollesgrave.

"Good evening, Allegra," he chuckled. He nudged Draco (who sat beside him looking quite uncomfortable) with his sharp elbow.

"H-Hello, Yollesgrave…I mean _Allegra_," he stammered.

There was a moment of silence until Olave cleared his throat.

"Allegra, do you have anything to say?"

More silence.

"_Allegra_!" Olave snapped.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy…Hi, Mal…Draco," Allegra breathed. "Excuse me, Daddy, but what is this all about?"

"The Malfoys are staying with us for Christmas. Your mother is entertaining Narcissa in the sitting room. Why don't you show Draco the guestroom in the East Wing?"

"B-But _my_ room is right next to…"

"Allegra, do not embarrass me," her father growled for only his daughter to hear.

Allegra didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she nodded for Draco to follow her. Out of manners, Draco offered Allegra his arm and, out of manners, she took it.

"The East Wing is this way," she said softly. They walked in silence for a while before Draco cleared his throat.

"This…This is a nice house, Yolles…Allegra."

"Thank you."

More silence.

"Was the journey pleasant, Mal…Draco?"

"Yes, thank you."

The hallway was so quiet, Allegra was sure she'd be able to hear a pin drop. Then, out of nowhere…

"Okay, where do we stand?" Draco suddenly asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Are we still enemies or not?" Draco demanded.

Allegra thought for a moment.

"Well…it might be awkward if we're at each other's throats with our parents around."

"True," Draco sighed. "So what are we now?"

Allegra's heart fluttered at the possible answers she could give, but she played it safe.

"Let's go with housemates," she said. "My room is next to yours on the left. Lavatory is across the hall, there." She pointed to the door.

"Housemates," Draco repeated, letting it sink in. "Well, that's good, I suppose."

Again, the hall was filled with awkward silence.

"So…would you like to see your room?"

"Okay."

Allegra opened the door to the guestroom and walked in. Draco poked his head through the doorway before fully entering. Like everything else in the Yollesgrave mansion (not including Allegra's bedroom), the guestroom had a theme of black. The bedspread was black satin, the curtains were black velvet, and the floor was covered with black fur rugs. The only thing that wasn't black was an old Slytherin pennant hanging on the wall. When Draco inquired about it, Allegra simply replied that it was from her father's dormitory when he attended Hogwarts.

"You can put up other things on the wall, if you would like."

Draco wandered over and sat on the bed. His skinny frame sunk into the soft mattress.

"Well," he sighed, "I suppose we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the holidays. We might as well get to know each other a bit. That is, I should learn more about _you_ than about your _family_."

Allegra's stomach dropped to her ankles and her heart jumped to her throat. Draco Malfoy wanted to know more about _her_. Even though his tone was somewhat patronizing, she couldn't help fantasizing about where this might take them. It was then that she realized that he was staring at her.

"Well, _sit down_," he instructed her in that bossy tone that only a Malfoy could perfect. Draco scooted over, making room for Allegra on the bed.

"O-Okay," Allegra stammered, sinking into the mattress as well. There was a pause as Allegra assumed "polite sitting stance": ramrod-straight spine, hands folded in her lap, and ankles tucked around each other. Draco flopped onto his side, supporting his head with his arm.

"So, you're rotten at Potions and _decent_ at Charms," he said nonchalantly as he looked around the room. "What else?"

"I…I get good marks in Care of Magical Creatures." Allegra wisely chose not to begin fire by correcting him and saying that she was in _Advanced _Charms, thank you very much. "I think it's because I love animals."

"I've never seen you with a pet at school," Draco commented.

"My pet…he's a bit big to bring to Hogwarts." Allegra wasn't sure how he would take the news that there was a 25-foot basilisk on the grounds.

"What is it?" Draco smirked. "A dog?"

"Too small," Allegra shrugged.

"A horse?"

"Try again."

Draco stared at her for a second.

"What is it, then?" he asked.

Allegra paused. She bit her lip and took off her glasses, polishing them on her sweater. When they were back on her face, she looked over to see Draco's gray eyes focused on her. She stared back and saw something she thought she'd never see (although she'd wanted to since the day she met him): interest.

"_Be still, my heart,_" she thought to herself. Then aloud, "He's hard to explain. I'll show you." She stood up, half expecting Draco to snort a sarcastic reply. But instead, she heard a rustle and felt Draco's arm accidentally brush hers as he walked to the door.

The pair walked down to the garden and over to the shed. Allegra tapped on the door.

"Mr. Cuddles lives here," she explained to the questioning look Draco had given her. "Let me go inside first. He knows _my_ scent, but he might get edgy if an unfamiliar smell comes in when he's alone."

"Is it dangerous?" Draco asked.

"_Heavens _no!" she exclaimed. "Mr. Cuddles is completely tame. This is for _his_ sake, not for ours." With that, the blonde girl disappeared into the shed. She was gone for a few moments before poking her head back out. "Okay. Come in."

Draco pushed through the door to be face-to-face with a _huge_ basilisk. Padded silver-and-green eye patches stared him down. His jaw dropped and he nearly screamed, but Allegra clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't make any loud noises, Draco," she hissed. "You'll scare him out of his snakey little mind." She released him.

"Scare _him_?" Draco gasped. "That's a _basilisk_! Are you _mad_?"

"No, I'm not," she pouted. "Mr. Cuddles is blind."

"Well, what about the venom?"

"Look." Allegra walked over to Mr. Cuddles and pulled up the top flap of his mouth, revealing the dull, round teeth. "Even if he _did_ bite you, which he won't, it wouldn't penetrate your skin. It would feel like this." She reached out, wrapped her fingers around Draco's upper arm, and squeezed softly. Draco flinched and a quiet squeal came from his throat. Allegra pulled away. "Sorry. I'm assuming you don't want to watch me give him his dinner."

Draco flinched again. "What do you feed it?"

"Meat," Allegra shrugged, walking over to the bin and pulling out a cow flank. She waved it in front of Mr. Cuddles' snout, letting him catch the scent. The basilisk's mouth opened and Draco prepared to run for his life. But Allegra just giggled and tossed the meat in the air. The snake struck, caught it in its mouth, and swallowed it whole.

"I need to get out of here," Draco shuddered, pushing the door open.

"You'll get used to him," Allegra sighed.

"I don't know if I will or not," Draco groaned.

"I wasn't talking to you," Allegra snapped. She turned to Mr. Cuddles and patted his head. "Don't worry, darling. Mummy will visit you every day, just like always." She kissed the tip of Mr. Cuddles' snout.

"Ugh. Why would you _ever_ want to kiss a snake?" Draco grimaced.


	14. Good Morning, Draco!

Allegra was very much an early riser. She would wake up every morning to watch the sunrise. She found that the best view of the sunrise was from the window in the guestroom.

So it rather startled Draco when he woke up to find the perky blonde sitting cross-legged on his bed, the curtains drawn. He shrieked and jumped nearly four feet. When he landed, he quickly gathered the blankets around his shoulders, which were bare.

"Morning, Draco," Allegra smiled without looking at him. Her hair was out of its usual ponytail, frizzing in a blonde halo around her head. This mass of tangles made her blocky glasses look small.

"W-What are you doing in my room?" Draco demanded.

"Watching the sunrise," Allegra replied simply. "I always do." She leaned back and supported herself with her elbows.

"In _my_ room?" Draco gasped, making sure not an inch of his chest showed.

"Well, it's really the guestroom in the East Wing," Allegra shrugged. "Why? Does it _bother_ you?" Her teasing tone was added to as she bounced closer to Draco.

"Yes, it does!" he exclaimed. "Leave at once!"

"It's _my_ family's house," Allegra scoffed. "I'll choose whether I stay or leave." She folded her arms over her chest. "And I choose to stay."

"Haven't you ever heard of privacy?" Draco snarled, leaning forward menacingly.

"Haven't _you_ ever heard of _property_?" Allegra shot back, tilting forward as well.

The two students were now nose-to-nose. But, Draco was so angry that he forgot to keep the blanket up around his chest. It fell to the mattress, revealing his pale torso. For a second, neither teen seemed to notice the change. But, slowly, Allegra's eyes drifted down. Draco jumped and scrambled to cover himself again.

"Sorry," Allegra blushed as she ducked her head and turned it back towards the window. She rolled off the bed and quickly shuffled towards the door, slamming it shut as she went into the hallway. Quietly, she went into her own room and collapsed on her green and silver bedspread. "Oh my God," she breathed, her voice squeaking. "Oh my God!"

She leapt up and began jumping on her bed, squealing with joy. As she raised her arms above her head, she accidentally slammed her hands into the ceiling, buckling her elbows. She yelped and plopped down on her bed, holding her wrists closer to her body.

"Oopsies," Allegra said softly. She looked up at the ceiling, sighed, closed her eyes, and fell back on her pillows as a gleeful smile crept across her face. She cuddled with her pillow, tucking her knees in closer to her stomach. "Best moment of my life." She reached for her locket to find that it wasn't there. For a moment she panicked, but then she remembered where she left it.

Meanwhile, the next door down from Allegra's creaked open and Draco's head popped out. He checked both ways down the hall before emerging, tying a black silk robe around his waist and making sure that it covered his previously exposed chest. His bare feet slid across the smooth, cold tile lining the floor and he tried to keep his breath from echoing off the stone walls as he slinked into the bathroom across the way.

Draco closed the door behind him and clicked the lock. When he peered at his face in the mirror, he saw the remaining traces of panic. He closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair, breathing a heavy sigh.

"That was humiliating," he groaned. There was a tap on the door. Draco grimaced before opening it slightly to see who it was. "What do you want, Allegra?"

"I left something in the bathroom last night," the blonde girl shrugged. "Can I come in or are you not decent?"

Draco sneered before opening the door and letting Allegra in. He watched as she poked around inside the mirrored cabinet and withdrew the silver locket with the red gemstone that he always saw her wear as well as a brush from the top shelf.

"What is that anyway?" he asked.

Allegra gave him a funny look.

"It's a hairbrush, dolt," she chuckled. She grabbed a short, green ribbon and looped it around her fingers as she began to brush out the tangles and tame her wild hair.

"Not the hairbrush," Draco rolled his eyes. "The locket."

"Oh this?" Allegra shrugged, holding up the only piece of jewelry she ever wore. "It's nothing special…at least not to you. It's pretty important to me, though. I've had it ever since I got Mr. Cuddles when I was six years old. It has his picture inside. That's not the whole reason why I always wear it, though."

"What else about it makes it so special?" Draco asked, leaning forward and reaching out his hand to inspect it. Allegra swatted him away. He snapped back, his eyes wide with shock and indignation. "Let me _see_."

Allegra looked down at her locket and imagined what would happen if Draco saw what was inside. The image terrified her.

_"WHAT? FATHER! FAHTER, COME HERE!"_

_ Enter Lucius Malfoy._

_ "What is it, son?"_

_ "This girl is insane! She's mad and horrible and I wish to be away from her at once!"_

_ "Away we shall go indeed, Draco! Jelly Legs Jinx!"_

_ Lucius grabs Draco and grande jetes out of the room. Allegra falls on her knees and sobs uncontrollably because she can't get back up._

"Bugger off, Malfoy," she snarled. "It's none of your business!"

Taken aback by Allegra's sudden hostility, Draco shrugged and walked out of the bathroom and back into his bedroom to get dressed. But something was nagging at the back of his mind. Something was a little off about Allegra. She seemed different than she was at school.

Draco was determined to find out why, even if it meant invading her personal privacy. Who was he kidding? It was going to be a pleasure to rifle through Allegra Yollesgrave's things after she so unceremoniously trespassed in his room. As he slipped into a black turtleneck sweater, suit jacket, trousers, and shoes, he concocted a scheme.

Meanwhile, Allegra had trotted back across the hall into her own room. She closed the door and walked over to the mirror, setting down her brush for a moment. She grabbed for her wand and flicked it, causing the locket to levitate into the air and clasp itself around her neck. With that finished Allegra set down her wand and proceeded to brush her hair back into place.

"That was close," she said to herself. "What an awful prospect it is that I might live my whole life without ever knowing whether he'd like me back or not…Maybe I ought to tell him after all." She shook her head. "No. I'd rather die lonely and without love than to go through the rejection he is sure to give me." She glanced at herself in the mirror as she tied the green ribbon around the side-ponytail she had just constructed. "Besides," she nodded, "I won't be alone. Mr. Cuddles will be with me to the very end. What a loving, little thing he is. I simply must make him a dear little scarf this Christmas! Oh and it's just around the corner!"

She dashed to her bedside table, pulling out a pair of knitting needles and some green and silver yarn. Grabbing her wand again, she tapped the needles, sending them into a frenzy of clicking and spinning the scarf that had to be wide enough to fit the ten-foot circumference of Mr. Cuddles' neck.

Allegra's run-in with Draco that morning had already been forgotten.


	15. Draco's Discovery

The days flew by like a racer on his broomstick. The night of Christmas Eve was soon upon the Yollesgrave Manor and its inhabitants. Allegra had known for quite some time that Hogwarts was much more festive for a reason. As any other stern-faced family of a great Slytherin lineage, Olave and Marina Yollesgrave had decided ages ago that decorations beyond the withered wreaths on the front gate were too much trouble every Christmas.

However, that didn't stop Allegra from decorating her own room to her heart's content. She had placed a tiny tree on her windowsill and decorated it with small beads and twisted yarn. Whenever it suited her fancy, she would use _Lumos_ to light the top of the tree like a star. The scarf for Mr. Cuddles, which had been finished just the day before, was carefully wrapped in colorful paper and placed on the windowsill beside the tree since it would not fit beneath it. Little effigies of Father Christmas lined the shelf above her bed, guarding her Sugar-Plum dreams.

Allegra was having one of these dancing visions as a dark figure crept into her room and lit his own wand.

Draco tiptoed over to the dresser and opened the top drawers. Upon seeing the pairs of underwear inside, he nearly slammed it shut, but was able to control himself. That was not a part of Allegra Yollesgrave that he cared to think about.

Slithering to the mirrored vanity, he saw many pictures on the surface. As he checked them, he saw that most of them were of Mr. Cuddles, slowly growing larger and larger with each image. Since it was night, he did not try to pick them up, fearing that they would wake and make his presence known.

He browsed through Allegra's bookshelf to find that most of the volumes were books on various Charms and romance novels by the same witch.

Draco was just about to give up hope when he saw something glistening on Allegra's bedside table. It was a silver pentagon with a red gemstone in the middle. His eyes gleamed and his mouth nearly watered in anticipation. Slowly, he reached out his hand and took Allegra's locket from its resting place.

He wedged his short thumbnails into the crease and pried open the locket door. When it came open in his hands, his jaw dropped. On the right-hand side of the locket, a picture of Mr. Cuddles was snoozing. His tongue flicked out as he snored. But on the left-hand side of the locket, a very familiar face smirked out at him.

"She likes us," the Draco Malfoy in the picture winked. "Quite a bit, actually. Did you know that she pestered Pansy Parkinson out of her mind to learn more about us? Did you know that she paid that Collin Creevey boy five Galleons to take this picture of us? Oh she fancies us alright."

Horrified, Draco snapped the locket shut and shakily placed it back on the nightstand. It couldn't be true. Allegra was vain, proud, stubborn, and everything in between. She hated him…didn't she? Draco looked down at Allegra's sleeping face. Something inside of him shifted suddenly and his legs began to shake.

His body took control, leaving his confused mind in the dust. His hand reached out and touched her hair. It was soft and rather cool. Sliding down, his fingertips graced her cheek. It was at this point that Draco's mind took over again and he pulled away. He backed away slowly before whirling around and hurrying through the door. In his haste, he accidentally closed it louder than he meant to.

Allegra bolted up and stared at the door.

"Father Christmas?" she whispered softly. Quickly, she fell back into her pillow and forced herself to go back to sleep before the fabled sprite of gifts and jollity found her awake.

…

Draco was awake the whole night. He stared up at the ceiling as he reclined in his bed. His mind was still awhirl. And strange thoughts were beginning to enter his mind.

_Allegra is rude, stubborn, proud…graceful, attractive, brilliant…What? What are you thinking, Draco?_

He rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.

_You shan't like her, Draco. No! You are forbidden from liking her…no matter how becoming she looks with her hair sweeping into her face as she sleeps…ENOUGH! No more of these thoughts! You are a proud pureblood, Draco. And Allegra is not the sort of girl you should get yourself mixed up with. She's below you, remember?_

He rolled on his side and propped himself up with his elbow.

_Mmm. Allegra below me...DRACO, IF YOU DON'T STOP HAVING THESE IMPURE THOUGHTS ABOUT ALLEGRA YOLLESGRAVE, I WILL BE FORCED TO CAUSE YOU MUCH PHYSICAL PAIN!_

Draco groaned and rolled onto his back again, covering his face with his hands. What was coming over him? Allegra liked him, but that didn't mean that he had to like her in return. But, that odd stirring feeling he'd experienced while watching her sleep…It hadn't gone away yet. It still felt like his stomach was churning and his heart couldn't stop racing. He tossed and turned until the sun rose over the horizon.

_BANG!_

Draco jolted up and pawed at the shirt he was wearing, pulling it off and tossing it on the floor to give the appearance that it hadn't been worn through the night.

"Just a moment!" he called. He grabbed the black robe and slipped into it, tying the belt securely. He leapt to answer the door, pretending to rub his eyes sleepily and yawn. "Can I help you, Allegra?"

_Can I help you…with those clothes? They look awfully warm…Draco, stop it! Wait…What's that rising feeling? Oh bollocks!_

He quickly crossed his legs and mentally slapped himself in the face.

Allegra bounced up and down, her eyes glistening with the joy of a child.

"It's Christmas morning, Draco!" she giggled. "I'm going to go downstairs and make some peppermint hot chocolate to drink while I wait for Mother and Daddy to wake up. Do you want to join me?"

Allegra noticed that Draco was crossing his legs rather tightly. But, she shrugged it off. His mouth was twitching too, but she decided that it was because he had just woken up.

"Sure," Draco nodded. "Okay. Just a moment. Let me put on my slippers." He ducked into the room and closed the door in Allegra's face.

For a second, Allegra thought that he was being rude and wasn't actually going to reemerge, but she heard drawers opening and closing, so she figured he was getting whatever he needed. She folded her arms, feeling the fuzziness of her green robe, and leaned against the wall by the lavatory door.

Inside the guestroom, Draco was in a frenzy to find a thicker pair of pajama pants to mask his unwilling display of attraction. Finding a thick, brown, woolen pair of sleeping trousers, he shimmied into them. He quickly recovered the aforementioned slippers, jammed his feet into them, and ran a hand over his hair to smooth it down. He opened the door as if nothing happened and slid out of the room.

"Alright," he breathed. "Now for that hot chocolate, I believe…"

"Yes. Now for that hot chocolate," Allegra repeated happily, skipping off down the hall to the grand staircase that eventually emptied out into the foyer of the manor. She leaned on the banister and let herself slide to the landing, hopping off and breaking into a sprint to the kitchen. The servants were already awake and bowed courteously as Allegra and her guest entered their domain.

"Good morning, Miss Yollesgrave," the main elf butler nodded. "Good morning, Master Malfoy. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too, Weaver," Allegra chirped. "We came down to make some peppermint hot chocolate while we wait for our parents to wake up."

"That sounds like a marvelous idea, Miss Yollesgrave," Weaver smiled. "Would you like any help or does it please you to do it with Master Malfoy?"

Draco felt a shiver go down his spine and he closed his eyes to subdue it.

"We can handle it, Weaver," Allegra said. "Thank you!"

"Did you just thank your house elf?" Draco asked in amazement as they walked to a corner of the large kitchen.

"Of course," Allegra shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? Everyone deserves to be treated properly."

_So polite…That's surprisingly attractive, actually, for a Slytherin…Draco, you simply must stop thinking ridiculous thoughts like these._

"Draco, is something wrong?" Allegra suddenly asked. "You've been a bit…off this morning."

"What?" Draco gasped. "Of course not! I'm perfectly fine. Nothing is wrong. What made you think that I was off?"

"Well, you look like your mind is wandering and you're snapping it back," Allegra observed. "Also, you've been really fidgety."

"Fidgety!" Draco laughed nervously. "That's so amusing, Allegra. Really it is. I'm _never_ fidgety." He followed the trace of Allegra's eyes down to the belt of his robe which he was clutching tightly in his hands. The end of the belt was vibrating so hard that it was nearly blurred.

But, Allegra just shrugged and turned back to the corner, pouring milk into a saucepan and putting it on the stove to heat. She felt Draco staring at her, so she scooted over.

"Can you give me a boost?" she requested. "I need to get up on the counter so I can get to the chocolate and peppermint in that cabinet."

Draco's hands stopped shaking for a brief moment as he placed them on Allegra's waist and hoisted her onto the counter. He watched as she stood on her tiptoes and reached for a tin of melted chocolate and a box of peppermint candy sticks. However, she was wearing a short nightgown and Draco's eyes caught sight of her underwear for just a second.

He snapped his face in the opposite direction, remembering the drawer he had opened the night before. Now that was the part of Allegra Yollesgrave that he _couldn't stop _thinking about.

"Oh I can't reach it," Allegra pouted, hopping off the counter.

Draco wasn't paying attention and found himself with his body up against hers. Immediately, he took a hasty step backwards, thanking the heavens that his trousers no longer revealed his primitive thoughts.

"I'll get it," he said, pulling his wand out of his robe and waving it. "_Wingardium Leviosa_." The chocolate and peppermint floated up and then down gently into Allegra's arms.

"Thank you, Draco," she smiled. "Good timing too. The milk is about ready. Could you get two mugs from that cabinet there?" She pointed in the general direction.

Taking this chance to escape from himself for a moment, Draco hurried to the cabinet and began rifling through the cups and saucers. In his mind, he tried to focus.

_Quidditch. Think of Quidditch, Draco. Flying through the air at top speed, chasing that Golden Snitch. There's a Bludger! Quick! Dodge it. And it looks like Slytherin just scored a point! Scored…Nope. No! Not going down that path of thought. Uh…There's the Snitch. Go for it! Go for it? Go for Allegra? No! The Snitch. Go for the Snitch, you idiot!_

"It's a shame we didn't win that last Quidditch game against Gryffindor," Draco said nonchalantly.

"I know," Allegra sighed. "Our team did exceedingly well, though. I was proud of them. You got pretty close to catching the Snitch. Harry Potter is just lucky, that's all."

Draco felt his cheeks color a bit from the compliment.


	16. Passion

The rest of the day was spent as Christmases often are. Presents were given and opened and opened and given. Allegra had received a book entitled _Flying for Dummies_ from Whimsy and had gone out (Draco at her heels) to give Mr. Cuddles his scarf, which the serpent loved.

Later that evening, Draco and Allegra were sitting by the fireplace in the drawing room, recuperating from the evening's festivities. Allegra couldn't help but notice how Draco would stare at her for long expanses of time. Even though this made her heart flutter, she couldn't help but feel like they were occurring too regularly to be normal. However, she simply continued to read the book Whimsy had sent her, making mental notes of both flying tips and Draco's actions.

But her eye caught something that was occurring out the window. Her jaw dropped as she ran to the window seat and kneeled on it. Draco stared after her. Little white flakes were falling gracefully from the sky. They apparently had been for the last hour without Allegra noticing because a soft blanket had covered the ground.

"Oh my goodness!" Allegra squealed. "It's snowing!" She dashed outside and flopped in the snow, moving her arms and legs back and forth.

"What in the world are you doing?" Draco asked.

"Making a snow angel," she replied, grinning as she stood up and dusted off her backside. "Isn't that what everybody does in the snow? Maybe tomorrow we can have a snowball fight! Or we could ride our brooms. I've heard that the sky is so lovely after a good snow."

"Quidditch," Draco moaned.

"Oh! This is a Christmas snow just like a postcard!" Allegra sighed dreamily. "How truly magical! And that's saying something considering we're a witch and wizard."

"Snitch, Bludgers, and Quaffle," Draco said under his breath. "Seeker, Beaters, Chasers, and Keeper."

"Oh I can't wait to make a snowman right outside Mr. Cuddles' window! He won't be able to see it, but he'll know it's there. How pleased he'll be!"

Suddenly, Draco screamed. He stormed out of the doorway and into the snow, leaving footprints in the fine, white powder.

"Stop it!" he shouted, grabbing Allegra by her shoulders and holding her firmly about a foot away from his face.

"S-Stop what?" Allegra squeaked, almost in tears and genuinely frightened by his outburst.

"ALL OF IT!" Draco yelled in her face. "Stop being so cute! Stop being so friendly! Stop being so easily, yet adorably excitable! Stop being so fetching! And most of all, STOP MAKING ME DO THIS!" He gestured to his hip region.

Allegra's eyes grew wide as she stammered, "I…I…I'm sorry?"

"I can't take it anymore!" Draco announced loudly. He moved his firm grip on her shoulders to her jaw, yanked her closer, and pressed his lips to hers.

If Allegra's eyes were wide a few moments before, they were about to pop out of her skull now. Draco was a passionate kisser, just as she always dreamed he was.

_So this is what was wrong with him all day…_

Draco released Allegra and stared at her for a few seconds. Her mouth was hanging open and there was a slight shine on her lower lip from the kiss. Her eyes were as big as dinner platters and her hands were stiffly extended in shock.

Then, he reached forward and slipped her glasses off her face. Wrapping one arm around her waist and the other around the back of her head, he pulled her close to him again, feeling the warmth of her body up against his.

Allegra reacted by draping her arms around Draco's shoulders. When he leaned in for a gentler, softer kiss she stood on her toes to meet him halfway. Her eyes closed as the sweet euphoria she felt embraced her entire being. She'd have to edit her "Best Moments in My Life" list. This was definitely number one.

"Let's go upstairs," Draco whispered as the kiss ended. "It's rather cold out here and I think the fire in the drawing room is dying." He took Allegra by the hand and led her inside, up the stairs, and into his room. Shutting the door behind him, he turned around and gave Allegra a lecherous glance. "Sit down," he smirked, gesturing to the bed.

Allegra was too stunned to see that this whole setup was a come-on. However, even if she had her wits about her, she was so air-headed that she probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. So, she sat down on the bed and leaned back as Draco pounced on top of her, straddling her hips. Their lips collided and Allegra ran her hand through Draco's hair. It was just as soft and silky as she imagined. She let out a happy sigh. Her hands ran up Draco's chest before resting on his shoulders.

Draco was supporting himself with his arms on either side of Allegra's head. Putting his balance slightly back towards his legs, he moved one of his hands to cup her chin in his palm. He pulled her face closer to his, deepening the kiss and letting out a soft moan of pleasure.

Suddenly, the door creaked open. Draco leapt off Allegra and ended up landing on his rear on the floor. Allegra sat up and stared in shock at the servant standing in the doorway.

"Beggin' your pardon, miss," she squeaked nervously. "I didn't know you were in here. I thought you and Master Malfoy would still be down in the drawing room. I only came in to change the sheets, miss."

"It's quite alright," Allegra said quickly. She hopped up and ran over to the whimpering chamber maid. "Don't be upset."

"You will _not_ tell _any_ of our parents about what you just saw," Draco ordered. Allegra shot him a surprised, yet nasty look, but he continued. "Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," the maid nodded franticly. "Quite clearly, sir." With that, she turned around and hurried out the door, completely forgetting the bundle of linens in her arms.

"And what, may I ask, was that all about?" Allegra snorted, turning to Draco, her arms folded across her chest. "I won't allow you to frighten my staff like that. If you want anything, you must ask politely, or is that too much for you?"

"I apologize, Allegra," Draco groaned, rolling his eyes and throwing his arm around her shoulder. "But we can't have anyone knowing about this."

"About what?" Allegra asked, tilting her head to one side.

"About us," Draco informed her. When she still looked confused, he went on. "We can't have anyone know that we…we both like each other…or even that we kissed."

"Why not?"

"Well, we both have reputations to uphold. We're supposed to hate each other, remember?"

"Why does it matter now?" Allegra sighed, winding her arms around Draco's waist. "People change."

"Not so drastically," Draco responded. "Besides, you still…" He cut off, suddenly unable to point out that Allegra was friends with mudbloods and Squibs and was therefore unsuitable for him to date publicly. Something told him that this would be the wrong thing to say if he wanted to keep that passionate kiss a secret.

"I still what?" Allegra smiled up at him hopefully.

"We just can't tell anyone," Draco sighed. "Okay?" He selected a different tack. "I'm not even going to tell Crabbe and Goyle. So, you can't tell your Ravenclaw friend either."

"I can't tell _Whimsy_?" Allegra gasped. "But she's my best friend in the whole world! She knows everything about me and I know everything about her. If I didn't tell her, I'd be going against the code of our friendship! Draco, you can't ask me to do that."

Draco took Allegra's hands in his and held them to his chest.

"Allegra, someday you'll be able to tell whoever you like," he promised. "But right now, it's just not what we want to do. Promise me that you won't tell a soul about what happened tonight."

Allegra paused and bit her lower lip.

"Can…Can I tell Mr. Cuddles, at least?" she sniffled, her eyes watering slightly. "He won't tell anyone. He's very trustworthy."

Draco smiled and kissed Allegra on the lips shortly.

"You may tell your pet," he nodded. "Just make sure no one else is in the vicinity when you do."

Allegra finally sighed sadly.

"Okay, Draco. I promise."

"That's my girl," he said softly. He pushed her towards the bed and attached his lips to hers in another passionate kiss.


	17. Back to Normal

Back at Hogwarts, Allegra met with Whimsy and they resumed their studies. Whimsy asked Allegra to join her in the courtyard to discuss their winter holidays. When they took a seat on one of the frosted benches, Whimsy struck up a conversation.

"So what did you do over your holiday?"

Allegra bit her lip and fiddled with her locket anxiously.

"I…erm…I played with Mr. Cuddles and taught him a new trick," she lied. "I also tried out one of those tricks that were in that book you sent me. Thanks, by the way."

"No problem," Whimsy smiled. "What trick did you try?"

Allegra's palms began to grow sweaty and her eyes darted around, avoiding Whimy's face. She bit her lip and her foot began tapping on the frozen cobblestone walkway.

"Oh, you know," she laughed nervously. "The one with the twirl and the…the thing…"

Whimsy raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest.

"Pardon?"

"I…um…Whimsy, I have to go," Allegra nodded suddenly as she jumped up from the bench. "I'll see you in class. Bye!" She took off through the courtyard and into the shelter of one of the semi-open hallways that surrounded it.

"Something is wrong," Whimsy said to herself as she watched her best friend scurry away like a frightened rabbit. "She's not telling me something…Something important."

Meanwhile, Allegra had run all the way back to the common room, shutting the door behind her. As she turned around, she saw Draco. Smiling, she stepped forward.

"Why are you so chipper, Yollesgrave?" he sneered. Allegra stopped in her tracks, an icy chill washing over her.

"What?"

"Well, if I was the family disappointment, I wouldn't be smiling and laughing all the time," Draco said slyly, cocking an eyebrow. Crabbe and Goyle laughed dumbly and Pansy Parkinson cackled.

"I don't…" It was then that Allegra remembered that she couldn't show Draco affection in front of other people. So, she reverted back to her old ways, putting on that mask of indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy. Sure, I may be different from the rest of my family, but it's better to be different and have excellent blood in your veins than to be a carbon copy of your snooty parents _and_ have an inferior lineage as well."

Draco clenched his fist before relaxing.

_Steady, __Draco. __It__'__s __your __Allegra. __She __doesn__'__t __mean __it._

"Hah!" he snorted. "_My_ lineage? Inferior? You are truly misinformed, Yollesgrave."

"Am I?" she replied, smirking. "Your breed shows and it tells no lies."

Draco stood up and strode over to Allegra with much purpose. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy all sniggered with delight at the thought of a fight taking place. Draco grabbed Allegra's upper arm and pulled her closer to him, whispering in her ear.

"Meet me down here at midnight," he said menacingly. "And come alone." He released her, tossing her backwards a little bit.

Concealing the excitement welling up in her stomach, Allegra forced her upper lip to twitch into a snarl for a brief second before turning away and running up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. However, this happiness didn't last for very long as she thought, with much guilt, about her predicament.

On the one hand, she was incredibly happy seeing Draco, even if it had to be in secret. She didn't really understand why Draco wanted it to be kept from everyone, but she respected his decision. He probably had a great plan and wanted everything to be perfect.

But on the other hand, Allegra couldn't help but feel extremely upset that she couldn't tell Whimsy. In her opinion, Whimsy deserved to know. Allegra thought for a moment…

_Well__…__Draco __said __that __I __couldn__'__t __tell __her. __He __never __said __that __I __couldn__'__t __hint __at __it._

She quickly reached under her pillow and pulled out the dream journal Professor Trelawney had instructed her to keep a record of her nightly escapades in. Ripping out a few pages, she grabbed a quill and began to scribble down various ideas that could maybe tip Whimsy off about her secret affair. She vowed that she would begin her attempts the next morning.


	18. Midnight Meeting

That night, as the clocks all chimed midnight, Allegra's bare feet patted along the stairway down to the common room. Her fingertips graced the cold rail slightly as her eyes adjusted to the slowly increasing amount of light appearing at the base of the stairs. A fire was in the grate, though it did little service as a heater and more as a lamp of sorts.

Her white nightgown whisked about her ankles and she checked the lacy collar without thinking or looking down, quickly doing up the top button which had come undone in her sleep. Her hair was down and, once again, frayed out like a fuzzy, blonde halo around her head. Her glasses tipped over lopsidedly due to the quickness with which she had donned them.

Draco was sitting on one of the black sofas, his feet propped up on the cushions beside him. Hearing the gentle stir behind him, he turned his head. The blank look of mild disgust that usually dressed his facial features was replaced with a lecherous smirk as he stood up and took Allegra in his arms.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, tilting her face up and kissing her. His hands slid down to her waist and he pulled her closer. When they stopped kissing, he ran his fingers through Allegra's tangled forest of hair and winked. "Now, wasn't this worth waiting for?"

"Uh-huh," Allegra cooed dumbly. She rested her head on his chest. "But I wish we didn't have to be so nasty to each other in public. It hurts me to call you such names."

Draco smiled and kissed her cheek.

"I know you don't mean them," he said. "There's no need to worry over it."

Allegra looked up into his face and a sweet smile crossed her lips. Draco pulled her onto the couch and slung his arm around her shoulder. She cuddled into him and let out a contented sigh, closing her eyes dreamily.

"When can we tell people?" she asked after a long pause.

Draco's arms tensed and released, causing his secret lover to shift slightly. He looked down at her peaceful, sleepy face and then back at the fire. He didn't say it out loud, but he never wanted people to know about him and Allegra. The damage done to his reputation would be irreparable. However, knowing that this information was not something to be said during a romantic embrace by the fireside, he chose a different response.

"Soon, darling. Soon."

Allegra seemed to take this as a suitable answer, and nudged her head under Draco's chin. Her soft hair tickled his neck and a gentle smile flickered across his face for a brief moment. As Allegra's knees curled into her stomach, Draco let his arm slide from her shoulder to her waist, his hand caressing her thigh.

As the covert companions kept each other warm in the dark dungeon of Hogwarts, the night continued to tick away. But, by dawn, neither a trace of the boy nor the girl could be found in the Slytherin Common Room.


	19. A Clue

Whimsy was sitting in the library. The Potions textbook before her was cracked open to a page about Amortentia, which she was writing an essay about. As she scanned the lines of information, she heard someone come up behind her.

"Erm…Whimsy, I have something I'd like to give you," said the unusually timid voice of her best friend.

Whimsy turned her head slightly, not wanting to completely fall out of the zone in which she was working.

"Yes, Allegra, dear?"

Allegra slipped a sheet of parchment on top of the book. Whimsy looked at it for a moment. It was a drawing of a broad-leafed tree with large clusters of what looked like grapes hanging from the top. A green and silver dragon was curled around the base of the tree, snorting fire and smoke occasionally.

"Thank you, Allegra," Whimsy said quickly. "Now if you don't mind, I simply must get back to work on this assignment. I'll meet you under our tree after lunch, alright?"

"Alright," Allegra sighed. "Whimsy, it means something to me…the drawing, that is. Promise you'll take a look at it when you have time."

"I promise," Whimsy nodded. "Now off you go."

Allegra tapped her finger on the drawing one more time before deciding that Whimsy would get to it soon and skipping happily out of the library. She turned a corner and ran into Fred and George, mischievous grins on their faces.

"Where are you boys off to?" Allegra asked.

Fred winked and nudged George in the ribs. George reached into the pocket of his robes and withdrew a cylindrical tin.

"Exploding peanut brittle," Fred explained.

"Triggered when exposed to light," George continued.

"Whimsy's been so awfully dull these last few days," Fred shrugged.

"So we figured we'd give her a bit of a wake up," George chuckled, finishing for his twin.

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?" Allegra said, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Don't worry. It's not going to hurt her," Fred snorted.

"It'll just shake her up a bit," George laughed. "Is she in the library?"

"When isn't she?" Allegra giggled.

"Right, let's do this," Fred grinned, rubbing his hands together and toting his twin off. "See you around, Legzie."

"Oh and don't forget the next Quidditch match!" George called over his shoulder. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Saturday afternoon!"

"Got it!" Allegra waved. Forgetting all about her dilemma about her drawing and Whimsy, the blonde girl skipped off to begin planning her next Slytherin House Pride outfit for the match.


	20. A Big Mistake

The sun shone brightly from the cloudless sky as the crowd trickled into the bleachers. Allegra had, of course, dragged Whimsy to the Slytherin side of the pitch, but Whimsy didn't mind too much. She wasn't much for cheering anyway, so it didn't matter if she was seated in the wrong place for her team preferences.

Allegra had decked herself out in some ridiculous green top hat with a silver feather sticking out of the ribbon around the base and wore giant Slytherin badges all down her robes. Her green and silver scarf fluttered behind her as did her usual hair ribbons. However, instead of painting her face her house colors, Allegra had decided to write her house name across her cheeks. She had designed a special way of writing the title and thought it was quite cool.

As the teams rose into the air, Allegra could not help but grin at the sight of Draco, his eyes already peering into the distance for a glint of gold or a flutter of delicate wings. She sighed dreamily.

_He__'__s __so __very __good __at __this __game. __I __wish __I __could __fly __a __broom __properly __so __I __could __play __too. __I __wonder __how __it __would __be __if __he __and __I __were __on __the __same __Quidditch __team. __Naturally, __we__'__d __have __to __go __to __all __the __practices __together. __We__'__d __see __so __much __of __each __other. __Even __if __we __couldn__'__t __tell __anyone __of __our __relationship, __at __least __I __could __see __that __facial __expression __more __often. __The __wind __really __does __make __his __hair __sweep __in __the __most __attractive__…_

"SHINY!" she shrieked, pointing as a golden flash whizzed by the Slytherin bleachers.

Draco and Harry Potter both heard her and swerved their brooms around. They had both learned fairly early on in their Quidditch careers that when Allegra Yollesgrave screamed the word "shiny," they should head in that direction.

"Oh look at Fred go," Whimsy laughed happily, clapping her hands and pointing out to one of the Weasley boys.

"How do you know it's him?" Allegra asked, cocking her head to one side. She caught sight of two Slytherins sandwiching the Gryffindor holding the Quaffle as she rocketed towards the goal hoops. "GET HER! GO ON! DON'T LET HER SCORE! SMASH THEM!" She was quite aggressive when it came to matches.

Whimsy simply ignored Allegra's outburst and explained.

"Fred and George have very different flying styles. I can tell them apart that way."

"That's cool!" Allegra grinned. "SLAUGHTER THEM! GOOOO SLYTHERIN!"

Whimsy rolled her eyes and focused her attention back on the twins. She smiled slightly as she watched them beat the Bludgers away from their own teammates and aim them at Slytherins. Eventually tuning out Allegra's battle cries, Whimsy got lost in the grace and style with which each Weasley rode their brooms. However, a Slytherin behind her accidentally (or on purpose, you can never tell with those types) nudged her forward. She turned around to regain her balance. There was a crack and Allegra's voice sounded in a shrill cry.

"_Ladies __and __gentlemen!_" the announcer shouted, nearly sounding panicked. "_One __of __the __Weasleys __has __just __been __shot __down __with __a __Bludger!_"

Whimsy's head shot around. George was falling from the sky, groping wildly for the handle of his broom. As he was falling, Draco Malfoy accidentally swooped beneath him, getting himself knocked off his own broomstick and tumbling towards the ground.

"DRACO!" Allegra screamed. She ducked around the crowd and began to feverishly make her way towards the stairs. Whimsy was close at her heels.

Two thuds sounded as the Quidditch players landed on the hard earth.

Allegra stumbled slightly as she descended the stairs. She came to the entrance to the field and ran out onto the pitch without thinking. Her legs moved without her instructions. She hurried to Draco and her knees buckled, forcing her to kneel next to him.

Draco was struggling to sit up by using his arms to prop him up, but whenever he tried, a sharp shock would go through the fingertips on his left hand all the way up to his shoulder. He groaned in pain and screwed his eyes shut. Then, he heard something that made the moment worse.

"Draco! Draco, are you alright? Speak to me!"

His eyes flew open and he stared up into Allegra's face. The corners of his mouth dragged downwards and his upper lip pulled back to reveal a nasty snarl.

"Get away from me!"

"Draco, you're alright!" Allegra threw her arms around Draco and tried to kiss his cheek. But he wrestled out of her grip.

"Get away from me!"

"But you just fell…"

"I DON'T CARE, YOU STUPID GIRL! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Allegra's eyes widened in shock and she stood up, backing away slowly. She bit back tears.

"I…I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be sorry," Draco shouted, his face growing red with both embarrassment and anger. "Just leave. NOW!"

Allegra felt her stomach churn and her heart stop with dread. She turned herself around and walked stiffly off the pitch, not looking back as Madam Hooch (along with some other teachers) escorted George and Draco to the hospital wing, Whimsy and Fred loyally at George's side.


	21. Nightmare

Allegra nervously walked into the hospital wing. The curtains were drawn around Draco's bed. She tiptoed over to the fortress of drapery and gently pulled the curtains aside. Draco looked up at her scornfully before turning his head back to look in front of him.

"Hi, Draco," Allegra whispered.

Draco stared stonily ahead.

"Erm…Sorry about what happened earlier. I guess…I just lost my head. I was very worried about you." When there was no response, Allegra wrung her hands and bit her lip. "I really am very sorry."

"Sorry?" Draco growled, shooting her a deathly look. "You nearly exposed us! What was going through that dense little head of yours? I'll tell you. Nothing!"

Allegra was taken aback by his hostility. But something triggered inside of her.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't be so angry now if you just let me tell people about us," she scoffed. "What's so wrong with it? We're not hurting anyone."

"Don't you get it?" Draco groaned. "I _can__'__t_be with you publicly. I have a reputation to uphold. I _can__'__t_ date someone who associates with the kind of people that you do."

"What do you mean?" Allegra gasped, folding her arms over her chest. "What's so wrong with the people I associate with?"

"They're not our kind, Allegra!" Draco snapped. "They're beneath us. It's our job as purebloods to keep their sort in line."

Allegra was shocked. Her face contorted into fury and rage, which scared Draco, but not enough to make him back down on his point.

"No one is better than anyone else, Draco!" she yelped. "That is so awful for you to say! My friends are my friends and nothing will ever make me ashamed of them."

"Then you're no better than one of them," Draco growled. "And that's why we could never see each other publicly. You're not socially acceptable for me to date."

Allegra bit back her need to spit in his face. Her fingernails dug into her palms as her fists clenched harder and harder. And finally, she exploded.

"SO YOU'RE ASHAMED OF _ME_? IS THAT IT? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING, MR. MALFOY…"

"BE QUIET!" Madam Pomfry's voice sounded from out of nowhere. "THERE SHALL BE NO YELLING IN THE HOSPITAL WING!"

Allegra looked away for a second before looking back at Draco, daggers in her eyes.

"I'll tell you something," she whispered, "we're through. You could never date someone of my social views? I could never date someone who is so stuck up, pig-headed, and rude as you." She stomped towards the exit.

"CEASE THAT HORRIBLE RACKET!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked.

Allegra took a deep breath and tiptoed out of the hospital wing, nose high in the air and hips swerving indignantly.

Once she had gone, Draco laid back on his pillows, letting out a sigh.

_You __don__'__t __need __her, __old __boy. __She__'__s __stupid. __She __doesn__'__t __understand __how __things __work. __Besides, __you __didn__'__t __really __like __her __any way. __Just __a __pretty __face __atop __an __attractive __body. __That__'__s __all._

And with his thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

...

_The cheering echoed in the Emptiness. He couldn't see the crowd, but he knew they were there. His eyes peered into the endless white sky, searching for a flash of gold as he hovered on his broomstick. Then, he saw it. The Snitch whizzed past his nose and into the blank sky. He bent low over the broom handle and sped after it. As he neared it, he stretched out his hand._

_"I'm going to win!"_

_Suddenly, a slit of black appeared in the golden orb and the Snitch swelled in size until it was a giant, yellow eye. A roar sounded through the Emptiness as the shape of a snake's head and body began to melt into color._

_He shrieked and turned his broom sharply, trying to escape the beast. But, without warning, his broom dropped from beneath him and vanished. He began to fall. The serpent was striking in slow-motion, its jaws gaping and fangs glinting menacingly. He closed his eyes, preparing to feel the crush and sting of the bite._

_He landed hard on his back. Opening his eyes in shock, he saw the snake hovering in the air for a moment before a white door slammed shut, blocking it from view and sealing him again in the Emptiness._

_He scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest and his breath resonating. Terrified, he glanced all about him, trying to find a way out. He began to wander off in one direction, hoping that it was the right one._

_But he hadn't gone very far when he saw a misty, silver shape hovering towards him. A smile spread across his face for he suddenly felt safe. He reached out and it glided towards him like a ghost. His fingers graced the mist and all the anxiety and fear he had once felt drained out of him immediately._

_However, he only touched the shape for a moment before it evaporated. He stumbled back and looked around him. The shape was a few feet away, gesturing for him to come towards it. He obeyed, arms outstretched, but as soon as he reached it, it disappeared again, forming another few feet away._

_Once more he ran towards it and once more it vanished. He began to panic._

_"Wait! Come back!"_

_The figure began to fly backwards at an alarming speed and he couldn't keep up. He hadn't noticed yet, but the white Emptiness surrounding him had eventually melted into black Nothingness. The silver mist continued to move away quickly until it disappeared one last time, leaving him in the dark._

_"No! No! Please! Come back! I need you! Come back! Come back!"_

...

"Come…Come ba…Co… back…" Draco Malfoy muttered incoherently in his sleep. His face was drenched with sweat and the white nightshirt he was wearing was soaked through to the skin, sticking to his chest and back. He was violently tossing and turning every few seconds.

Madam Pomfrey stood over him, holding a bowl of cool water and a rag. Seating herself on a chair next to the bed, she dipped the rag into the water and began to gently press it to the young boy's face. She gasped in alarm when Draco Malfoy screamed, his voice echoing off the stone walls of the hospital wing. The other patients rustled in their sleep, but didn't awaken.

"Mr. Malfoy," she whispered, touching his shoulder and holding the cold washcloth to his forehead again. "Mr. Malfoy, please wake up."

Draco's eyes shot open and he jerked up into a sitting position, his hands clenching the sides of the mattress as if terrified that it would vanish from underneath him. Tears were streaming down his wet face and his chest rose and fell rapidly with his breathing. He stared ahead for a few moments before falling back on his pillows exhaustedly.

"Are you alright?" Madam Pomfrey asked quietly as to not disturb the other students.

"I…I'm fine," he panted. "I'm fine. Just a dream…Just a dream…"


	22. Infuriating Sickness

Allegra stood silently in the middle of the practice room. The occasional chair and table were strewn about the place as the sun came in through the arched window. Her wand was gripped tightly in her hand and she gritted her teeth. As she focused her energy, she conjured a stone in her hand.

Footsteps echoed in the hall, but she didn't care. She drew back her hand, flung it forward, and let the rock sail towards the door just as Whimsy's head poked through.

Whimsy gasped and ducked out of the way as the stone smacked against the wall and exploded into several tiny pieces. As they clattered to the floor, Whimsy walked into the room, the picture clutched in her hand.

"I finally get it!" she squealed, giving her friend a hug. "At first, I was wondering what this meant, but now I understand!" She pointed to the tree. "This is a _date_ palm, isn't it? I thought so! And this dragon…Well, that took me a while to understand. I started going through the names of dragons. But I was just being silly. It wasn't the _species_ name of the dragon. It was the _Latin_ name! _Draconem_! And if you shorten that, you get Draco! Allegra, dear, why didn't you tell me you were seeing Draco Malfoy? I'm so happy for you!" She took her friend in a mighty hug and squealed in an uncharacteristic manner.

Allegra didn't say anything. She simply conjured another rock and threw it at a chalkboard, breaking it in half. Whimsy flinched at the noise.

"Dear, is everything alright?" she asked cautiously. "You seem a bit out of sorts."

Allegra's face went from white to red and she threw her head back angrily. Letting out a furious howl, she grabbed a handful of chalk from the stock of another chalkboard and hurled it at the far wall. Surprisingly, all the pieces made it and exploded into dust. The Slytherin raised her wand and sent sparks flying everywhere.

Whimsy covered her ears, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She ran up to her friend and grabbed the yew wand, attempting to wrench it out of Allegra's hand.

"Let go!" Allegra screamed. "No! Give it back! He was never worth it! He's not worth anything! I wasted so many years on that unforgivable little Mandrake-Munching wretch! Give me back my wand, Whimsy! Let go!" Allegra's eyes filled with tears and she sank to her knees, whimpering. "Let go. Let go. Let go." She held her hand to her heart and coughed. "Oh God…my chest…"

Whimsy quickly pulled her friend into a tight hug, rocking her back and forth.

"What happened?" she asked softly, stroking the sobbing blonde's hair.

Allegra only shook her head as a fresh wave of tears came upon her and flooded out of her eyes. Her red face was turning pink as her emotions changed.

"It's alright," Whimsy cooed. "Take your time."

And Allegra did. The two sat there for quite some time. Hours passed. Lunchtime came and went, but Whimsy remained loyally by her friend's side. Eventually, Allegra had calmed down enough to tell Whimsy the story.

"I won't say I'm shocked," Whimsy sighed honestly. "When you can find something good in a person, that boy can find something bad." Allegra's bottom lip trembled. "Oh don't give me that look," Whimsy smiled maternally. "Just try to think of something else. Maybe you should take up a hobby. And, Allegra," she nodded, pointing at the locket, "you may not want to wear that for a few days until the pain wears off."

"I hate it when you're always right," Allegra sniffed, unlatching the clasp and letting the locket fall into her palm. "I might take his picture out, though. I need to be near my Mr. Cuddles at all times. The more I learn about boys, the more I like my snake."

"You know," Whimsy smirked, "I believe there's a Muggle phrase very similar to that. Has something to do with dogs, I think."

Allegra let out a weak chuckle before pocketing her necklace and standing up from the floor. She walked over to the broken chalkboard, pointed her wand at it, and murmured the spell.

"_Repairo_." The crack mended itself and Allegra slipped her wand into her other pocket. "I'm starving," she sighed. "Do you think there'll be any leftovers from lunch?"

Little did Whimsy know that Allegra's usually bounce-back personality was lacking elasticity in this scenario…

…

Draco carefully scooted along the steps from the hospital wing. The arm which had broken from his fall was bandaged even though it was close to fully healed.

Dark bags were forming under his eyes. He hadn't had a full night's sleep in days. Every night, he would have waking nightmares. They were very similar to the one he'd had on his first night in the hospital wing. There would always be a vaguely shaped form which made him feel safe. But whenever he'd try to reach it, it would dodge away before vanishing altogether and leaving him alone and frightened. He'd always wake up in a cold sweat.

His hair was ruffled and his eyes were wild. His robes were askew because of his hasty dressing that morning. All he wanted to do was get away from that bed. The nightmare bed…

Once he had made it back to his Common Room, he was accosted by Pansy Parkinson about his injury. She cooed over it for several minutes before Draco got bored of her lustful praise and decided to take a nap. Just as he was going up the stairs to the boys' dormitories, Allegra came swooping down the stairs from the girls' dormitories.

Draco stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her. Something churned in his stomach.

Hurrying up to the dormitory, he ran into a bathroom and hurled vehemently into the toilet. He sat back on his knees, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths. In his mind's eye, he saw her dark brown eyes staring at him disappointedly. His back arched as his stomach heaved and he leaned over the toilet, retching once again.

When this second round had finished, he attempted to stand up but his knees shook and he had hold onto the sink to keep him from falling. Flushing the toilet, he cupped some water in his hand and rinsed his mouth, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

Ratty hair, tired eyes, dark circles, traces of his vomit at the corners of his mouth and the palest skin he'd ever seen…

_What's happening to me?_

He pawed at his argyle vest, pulling it up over his head and clutching it in his hand. He splashed some more cold water in his face. Running his hands through his hair, he tried to make himself look slightly more presentable. When that failed, he groaned and hobbled back into his dormitory, falling on his bed and clutching his vest to his stomach.

_I've never felt so ill._


	23. Professor Bergman

Allegra sat rigidly in the chair. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the school counselor and she was a little nervous. She crossed and uncrossed her legs, gnawing on her lower lip. Her thumbs twisted around each other as her hands rested in her lap.

Then, the door in front of her creaked open and a tiny man poked his head out. He was bald with a long, sweeping, white beard. The lenses of his small glasses magnified his crystal blue eyes as they perched on his sharp, hooked nose.

"Miss Yollesgrave?" his old voice rasped. Allegra nodded. "In here, please. It's more comfortable. I'm Professor Bergman."

Allegra stood from the chair and entered the office. Royal purple curtains lined the arched, stained-glass windows. Professor Bergman settled behind his desk, which dwarfed him by comparison. He hitched his glasses on his nose and folded his hands on the desktop. He gestured for Allegra to sit in a large, soft armchair, which she did.

"Well," he smiled gently. "Why are you here?"

Allegra sighed and propped up her head with her hands, her elbows in her lap.

"I'm not exactly sure," she sniffed. "I was hoping you could tell me. I've been feeling very sad these last few days."

"Oh?" The old man took his wand and levitated a scroll of parchment and a quill to his desktop, clasping the feather in his hand and holding it over the paper. "Has anything upsetting happened to you lately?"

"Well, I broke up with my boyfriend."

"That will do it," Professor Bergman sighed. "Ah to be young and feel love's keen sting…"

"That sounds like something Professor Dumbledore would say," Allegra smiled.

"We've been at this school for the same amount of time," the man nodded. "We know each other quite well. But this is not about me. It's about you, Miss Yollesgrave. Now, if you're comfortable, tell me about your relationship with your past companion. Maybe if you talk about the difficulties which caused you to part it will be enough to fix the issue of your depression."

Allegra curled slightly, wanting to shield herself from this man. It wasn't that she was scared of the professor. No, it was that she didn't trust him. This was a first for Allegra since she always trusted everybody until they proved otherwise. And this new feeling of distrust was making her very uncomfortable and scared. She bit her lower lip and twiddled her thumbs anxiously.

"What is your favorite subject in school, Miss Yollesgrave? May I call you Allegra?"

Allegra nodded.

"Charms," she whispered.

"Ah yes," Bergman said with a twinkle in his eye. "Charms was my favorite subject in school as well when I was your age."

"_You_ went to _school_?" Allegra gasped in disbelief, her big brown doe eyes growing wider.

"Of course," Bergman chuckled. "I was in Hufflepuff."

"Oh I'm friends with a lot of Hufflepuffs," Allegra grinned. "They're very fun to be around."

"I'm glad you feel that way, Allegra," the counselor smiled. He held out his hand. "I think that will be all for today. Why don't you come and visit me again soon, eh?"

Allegra reached out and shook Bergman's hand.

"Okay," she nodded, standing up and heading for the door. "Is Monday alright?"

"It's perfect. I'll see you then, Allegra."

"Goodbye, Professor."

…

The dungeon was surprisingly warm that day. Maybe it was the bubbling cauldrons and the heat given from the flames beneath. Maybe it was the remnants of the explosion Allegra had caused a few moments ago. Maybe it was simply because the heating was on too high. Whatever it was, it was making Draco absolutely miserable. His hair stuck to his forehead because he was a veritable waterfall of sweat. He mopped his brow with his sleeve, but it didn't do him a lot of good, making his robes soppy more than cooling him off.

He could literally feel his lungs expand and contract, filling with hot air and emptying into coolness. His eyelids were getting droopier and droopier. The nightmares hadn't stopped and he was barely functioning on less than four hours of sleep per night. His mind, soggy as a muddy river bank, slipped and lost focus every few seconds and he had to spend more of the class time getting it back on track than actually doing anything.

"Mr. Malfoy," Professor Snape's voice sneered in Draco's ear. Draco snapped to attention and whirled his head around to face his house master. "Kindly watch where you put your sleeve."

"Y-Yes, Professor," he mumbled, turning back to look at the bubbling yellow concoction in his cauldron. As Snape went on to chide other students for their neglect in their potion-making, Draco stared at this for a while. Wheels started turning in his mind and heat-thoughts were beginning to crop up.

_This color…It's the most beautiful color I've ever seen. It reminds me of something…Ugh, this heat is infuriating. I can't think. I can't breathe…Oh God! I can't breathe!_

It was then that he realized that he had been breathing in the fumes of the potion and was beginning to cough and splutter. Goyle, who was sitting next to him, pounded him on the back in an attempt to be helpful.

"He's choking!" Pansy squealed, standing up and pointing to Draco. (She was on the other side of Goyle.)

Snape whirled around and aimed his wand at Draco's face, yelling an incantation in such a way that one could not understand what he said. It regulated Draco's breathing for a short period of time.

"I'll take him to the hospital wing," Allegra said quickly. She jumped up and grabbed Draco's arm, hauling him out of the steaming hot dungeon and into the corridor. She didn't say anything, which Draco didn't mind considering he was too busy coughing his lungs up to have replied. When they got to the hospital wing, Allegra tugged on Madam Pomfrey's skirts to get her attention. "Excuse me. There was an incident in Potions class. Malfoy here breathed in some smoke from one of the cauldrons."

Without turning around, the nurse gestured to an empty bed with a sigh.

"Again, Mr. Malfoy? Didn't you just leave recently?"

Draco stopped coughing long enough to catch sight of the bed. He squeaked and tried to struggle out of Allegra's grip as she tried to help him lay down. It was the nightmare bed. If they thought he was going to spend another night in this bed of terror, they had another thing coming.

"C'mon, Malfoy, lie down!" Allegra grunted, pushing his chest in an attempt to make him sit on the little cot. "Don't make me use Stupefy on you!" She reached into her robes and pulled out her wand, pointing it at him menacingly.

Draco quickly obeyed, swinging his legs up onto the bed and resting his head on the pillow. His breathing was getting raspier in between coughing fits and he could feel his face start to turn red. He gasped for air as Madam Pomfrey bustled over to him and gave him a goblet which was steaming. The nurse tipped it into Draco's mouth.

The liquid tasted spicy and warm and he gulped it down greedily. When he was finished, his breathing returned to normal and he sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" Allegra asked, tilting her head to one side.

"I'm fine," Draco shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Nonsense," Madam Pomfrey snorted. "If Miss Yollesgrave hadn't brought you to me immediately, you could've suffocated. You're quite the lucky boy to have someone as quick on her feet as Miss Yollesgrave looking after you."

Draco cleared his throat and looked down at his lap.

"We should be getting back to class," he muttered. He stood up and felt an odd throb in his chest. It made him cough one last time before he turned his head to nod at Madam Pomfrey, scuffing out of the hospital wing and down the stairs.

"What was that all about?" Allegra snorted, following behind.

"Nothing," Draco replied icily.

"You're in a nasty mood," Allegra pointed out as she caught up to him so they were walking side-by-side. "What's got your underwear in a knot?"

"I said NOTHING!" Draco snapped, whirling around to face her. "Leave me alone!"

"Fine!" Allegra shouted back. "Just ignore the fact that I just saved your life, you ungrateful Mandrake-Muncher!" She pushed him aside, stomping back towards the dungeon.

Draco watched her go, a sudden pang in his chest.

_I really must see a doctor. Something must be wrong with me._


	24. Click

Allegra stormed into Professor Bergman's office and plopped down in the chair across from him. She grimaced as she crossed her legs and rested her head in her palms, pouting.

Bergman, who had been filing some papers, looked up. He folded his hands on the desktop and looked over his glasses at the arrival.

"May I help you, Allegra?"

"He's impossible!" she groaned. "No matter what I do, he just yells at me!"

"Who?"

"Draco!"

"The Malfoy boy?" Bergman asked, stroking his beard. "Well, that does clear up a lot of things. What happened?"

"He started choking in Potions and I took him to the hospital wing and he got fixed but he was acting strange so I asked him about it when we left but he just shouted and me so I shouted at him back and now we're both mad!" Allegra explained all in one exasperated breath.

Professor Bergman sat back and pressed his fingers together, taking in all that Allegra had just said. He puffed out his cheeks and let out all the air in a contemplative sigh. Then, he leaned forward.

"Allegra, have you thought that maybe he's going through some rough weather right now?"

"Rough weather? But it's been so sunny outside," Allegra said, puzzled.

"I don't mean actual weather."

"Then why did you say it?"

"It was a metaphor," Bergman chuckled. "What I mean to say is, maybe he's going through a bit of trouble with your separation."

Allegra thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, that can't be. He was the one who really wanted to break up. I'll tell you a secret, Professor," she whispered, leaning forward. "I still fancy Draco. It's hard to stop fancying someone when you've fancied them for three and a half years. My friend Whimsy told me to take his picture out of my locket, but…" She touched the necklace gently and unlatched it, looking at the two pictures inside. "I couldn't bring myself to do it."

Professor Bergman looked at the girl. He felt deeply saddened by her affection towards the Malfoy boy. He knew how difficult people like the Malfoys could be. If he recalled correctly, he'd had one of them in his office for some anger-management sessions many years ago.

"I think," he said, carefully choosing his words, "that you should make yourself happy. Whether this means moving on and finding someone new or giving Mr. Malfoy another chance, you should not be miserable any more. Happiness is like our air. Without it, we'd drown in our sorrows or buried alive by our fears."

Allegra's mouth dropped a little and her eyes glistened.

"That was pure poetry, Professor Bergman," she gasped. "You're brilliant. Thank you so much."

"If you ever need me, you know where to find me," Bergman smiled as he waved goodbye to the Slytherin.

…

_"Draco…Draco…Draco, come to me."_

_"Where are you? I can't see!"_

_He fumbled in the dark, his arms outstretched as he tried to find the source of the beautiful voice. He came upon a figure with a golden halo encircling its head. Falling to his knees, he reached for it, just to have it disappear as it always did._

_"Draco, come to me."_

_"I can't!"_

_"Draco…"_

_"I CAN'T!"_

_The silver figure suddenly appeared right in front of him. The golden light emanating from the halo blinded him, but as he looked into the figure's face, he saw two big brown eyes. It was almost as if they could see into his soul._

_He reached out and touched the figure's face. It was warm, soft, and inviting. And it didn't evaporate when he touched it. Instead, the light flowed from the figure to his fingertips. He had never felt something so pleasant in his life._

_"Draco, come to me," the figure whispered._

_"Haven't I already…?"_

_"Draco, come to me."_

_And then it clicked._

…

Draco's eyes popped open as he sat up in bed. It was late and he could hear snoring from the other boys in his dormitory even though he had the thick curtains on his four-poster bed drawn. He stared into the darkness for a moment.

All he could think about was Allegra.

How she looked…

How she talked…

How she walked…

How she dressed…

How she laughed…

How she kissed…

How it felt when she was in his arms…

And he had to get her back. He didn't care if people knew about them. At that moment, he would've told the whole world. He plopped his head back on his pillow and closed his eyes, picturing the girl who had haunted his dreams in the form of an angel. She would never elude his grasp again. Of that, he was certain.


	25. Together Again

The next morning, he stood in front of his mirror, practicing. It was getting difficult and he was beginning to get frustrated, causing him to grip the sides of the basin tightly.

"Let's try this again," he grimaced, breathing deeply to control his temper. "Allegra, you may not care about me anymore and I understand why. But, I do care for you. I realize this now …Oh this is absolute shit." He shook his head and tried again. "Allegra, you can tell anyone you like about us. I care about you and I never want to lose you again…That's even worse. Hm…Allegra, you _will_ be my girlfriend. Kiss me this instant…UGH!" He dropped his head and splashed some water on his face. He looked into the mirror again. "Come on, Draco. You can do this." He thought for a moment. "Maybe a quick walk will do me some good."

He grabbed his coat from the hanger by the door and hastily shoved his arms into the sleeves as he hurried out the door.

…

Allegra clutched her textbook to her stomach as she skipped down the stairs from her Divination class. She'd read some tea leaves and had enough time to go over her dream journal with Professor Trelawney, which left her in a good mood. She hummed a happy little tune as she reached the last turn in the staircase.

"Allegra," called a voice from the base.

Allegra stopped skipping and stared at the person.

"Hi, Malfoy," she said with confusion. She glided down to the bottom step and rested her arm on the banister. "How can I help you?"

Draco shifted back and forth on his feet, his hands behind his back. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it. This repeated several times.

"Allegra, I…"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say…" He trailed off again, biting his lower lip and running a hand through his hair.

"Are you okay?" Allegra asked, crossing her arms.

There was a long pause. Suddenly, Draco produced a bouquet of daisies from behind his back and threw them at Allegra's face.

"Here!" he shouted. "I'm _sorry_, okay?"

Allegra squeaked a bit in surprise and fumbled to catch the flying flowers. She stared at Draco in disbelief for a moment.

Draco sighed and took a deep breath.

"I would be very…happy…if you would consider taking me back…Please."

Another long awkward pause echoed through the hall. Allegra continued to stare at Draco over the flowers. Eventually, Draco let out a sigh and turned around. He started to walk away when suddenly he heard a squeal and something leapt on his back. He grunted and stumbled a few steps forward, reaching back to pry Allegra's legs from around his waist and her arms from around his neck.

"Of course I'll take you back!" she cried ecstatically. She put her chin on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. "You're so sweet, Draco. I missed you terribly." At this point, he had managed to get her off his back (literally) and place her in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug, resting her head on his chest.

"I…I missed you too, Allegra," Draco said softly as he gently stroked Allegra's hair. "I…I…" He cleared his throat, unused to saying these next four words together in one sentence. "I made a mistake."

"I let my temper get the better of me," Allegra sighed. "I'm sorry too."

Draco was about to nod and agree that most of this was her fault, but he pulled away from her hug, grabbing her shoulders and looking into her eyes earnestly. He was quivering with all these new phrases he had never said before.

"No, it wasn't your fault. I was wrong. I should've never let it happen. It was my error, not yours."

Allegra reached up and touched his hands.

"You're shaking, Draco."

He looked at his feet for a moment.

"I guess I'm not used to apologizing this honestly," he shrugged.

There was another silence. Then, Allegra reached up and touched Draco's cheek, tilting his face back up so their eyes locked. She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. While the kisses he had given her were passionate and filled with lust, Allegra's kiss was sweet and innocent. Draco could feel the pure, honest-to-God affection pouring out of her and into him. He had to admit it; it was much nicer than the times he'd kissed her before. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed back.

_Ah sweet bliss…_

…

That night, at dinner, Allegra seated herself next to Draco. She smiled and he smiled back before slipping his arm around her waist.

"Hello there," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"Hi," she giggled back as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

As the rest of the students filed in, Allegra caught sight of Whimsy coming in with the Weasley twins. She gave them a surreptitious wave. They blinked back in astonishment.

"So," Draco smirked as everyone sat down and food appeared, "what's my little kitten hungry for tonight?" He gestured to a plate of steaming chicken. "That looks delicious. Do you want some?"

"Sure," Allegra nodded.

Draco was serving some of the succulent poultry onto his girlfriend's plate when an irritated Pansy Parkinson appeared on Allegra's other side.

"Move, Yollesgrave," she hissed.

"Why?" Allegra asked.

"Because _I_ sit there," Pansy spat. "I _always_ sit next to Draco."

"But I'm comfortable here," Allegra whimpered. She scooted towards the Malfoy boy a bit more, patting the wooden bench beside her. "You're always welcome to sit right here, though. Look, I've even made a spot for you, Parkinson." She grinned brightly.

"Move!" Pansy shouted, feeling half annoyed and half insulted by the offer.

"But Draco probably wouldn't want me to move," Allegra pleaded.

"What's this about you moving?" Draco asked, seeming to finally come back to the conversation from his dinner. His grip tightened on Allegra's waist. "No one is moving. I forbid anyone to move."

"Draco, what's this?" Pansy snapped, indicating Draco's arm around Allegra's side.

"Oh, right," Draco shrugged. "Allegra and I are seeing each other now."

"WHAT?" Pansy shrieked, she held her hand to her chest and gasped several times. "B-But you _hate_ her! You can't _stand_ her! Don't you remember?"

"I happen to think she's pretty fantastic," Draco replied icily. "I think you ought to find somewhere else to sit as of now. This part of the bench is quite crowded."

"No!" the raven-haired Slytherin yelped. "No! No! No! This can't be happening…" She ran off, weeping too overdramatically for even Allegra to take it seriously.

Draco watched her go.

"Now," he grinned slyly, "where were we before our dinner was so rudely interrupted?" He kissed her neck. Allegra giggled and swatted him away. "Oh? Ticklish are we?" Draco wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously and kissed her neck again.

"Stop it!" Allegra laughed, whipping her head around to block his attacks. Her eyes locked with his as his head rose slightly so his lips were inches away from hers.

Draco leaned forward and kissed her softly.

"Better?" he winked as he pulled away.

Allegra nodded dumbly. The plates of dinner food disappeared and were replaced with dessert.

"OOH!" Allegra squealed, her eyes drifting towards a bowl of custard with an iridescent green luster. "Shiny pudding!"


	26. The Cycle Begins

The water of the Great Lake crested softly as a gentle wind rippled across the grounds. It was a beautiful Spring day. As the water lapped lightly against the basin's grassy banks, Draco stretched out on the green, lush lawn, his eyes closed, letting his pale skin receive the warmth of the sun which he had so often shunned before. His fair hair reflected the light, making it appear almost white. His arms were beside him, the palms of his hands facing down to feel the cool sod between his fingers.

A shadow came over Draco and he opened his eyes to see who was blocking the sun's rays. His face instantly lit into a smile.

The lovely nymph was short with a curved figure. Her hair was the color of champagne and was pulled over to one side in one large mass, tied with a green ribbon. Her eyes were the color of cocoa and were just as sweet as they batted their long eyelashes from behind the large black-framed glasses the fairy creature wore upon her precious, upturned nose.

"Hi, Draco. Sorry…Did I disturb your nap?"

"No, you didn't," Draco breathed as he patted the ground next to him. "Lie down with me, Allegra."

Allegra smiled too and fell on her knees, turning on her side and wiggling into Draco's outstretched arm. With his hand placed safely on her shoulder, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the bewitching smell of her swain's robes. She felt her own robes pull away, leaving her legs exposed to the grass. She became more aware of the place where her stockings ended and her skin began.

The silence was broken only by the sloshing of the water just a few feet away. And yet, this was not an awkward silence. Allegra was too busy listening to Draco's rhythmic breathing and heartbeat to notice. And Draco was too occupied feeling Allegra's head on his chest to care. And the silence went on and on for several minutes. This was finally interrupted when Allegra let out a contented sigh.

"I think," she said quietly. She took a long pause, formulating what she wanted to say in her head. "I think that being able to share a perfect silence is a good trait in a relationship." She stopped talking again, settling back into the smooth rise and fall of Draco's ribcage.

"I think you're right," Draco whispered. He flipped on his side and supported his head with his arm, planting his elbow on the ground. He stared into Allegra's eyes for a moment before leaning forward and giving her a delicate kiss on the lips. "Now, _I_ think that having an excellent kisser as your partner is pretty important too." He winked.

"But not _the_ most important thing, Draco," Allegra giggled. "Although, I _do_ seem to have managed to find one."

"Oh I wasn't talking about myself," Draco chuckled. He brushed a stray hair out of Allegra's face, tracing his fingertips down her jawbone to her chin. "But, I can't say you're wrong." He stood up and dusted the flora debris off his back. "Fancy a walk?"

"Sure," Allegra smiled.

Draco offered his hand, Allegra took it, and he helped her stand up. Whirling her around, he swiped his hand over her back a few times to get rid of the plant life that had adhered to her robes. With that done, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her off in the direction of the castle.

Allegra waved cheerily to a group of Hufflepuffs who were using their wands to play Cat's Cradle. They paused their game for a moment to wave back.

"Hi, Allegra!" one called out. "Are you coming to the meeting later tonight?"

"Absolutely!" Allegra chirped. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"What meeting would this be?" Draco asked as they glided past the group.

"Drama Club," Allegra replied simply.

"I didn't know there was a Drama Club at Hogwarts," he pondered, looking back at the students clad in black and yellow.

"You never asked," Allegra smirked. "We started it because we noticed that all the other wizarding schools have performing arts programs. Beauxbaton has its dance program, Durmstrang does that stick-twirly stuff, but Hogwarts doesn't have anything artistic besides the Toad Choir. And not everyone at Hogwarts can sing. So, _voila_! Drama Club!" She giggled and batted her eyes at Draco. "Whimsy taught me how to say a few words in French. She used to go to Beauxbaton, you know."

The couple continued to walk. They came upon a group of Ravenclaws who were studying. Whimsy was among them. When she saw her friend, she put down her book and hurried over, giving her friend a hug.

"I haven't seen you in ages, Allegra, dear," she smiled. Her eyes turned to the other Slytherin. She lowered her voice. "Good afternoon, Draco," she said stiffly.

"Good afternoon," Draco nodded just as awkwardly.

"Oh! Allegra, I wanted to show you a new routine on my broomstick," Whimsy announced, once again addressing her best friend. "Meet me on the Quidditch pitch tomorrow morning after breakfast, alright?"

"Sounds great!" Allegra grinned. "Are you coming to the Drama Club meeting tonight?"

"I think so. Where is it this week?"

"Hufflepuff common room. Same time."

"Alright, I'll meet you there." Whimsy gave her friend another hug before striding back to the group of Ravenclaws and resuming her reading.

"Your Ravenclaw friend is in the Drama Club too?" Draco questioned.

"Of course!"

"It doesn't sound like a Ravenclaw activity."

"Does it sound like a Slytherin activity?" Allegra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not," Draco scoffed.

"Looks are deceiving, aren't they?" Allegra snorted.

Draco suddenly remembered that his girlfriend was not a particularly stereotypical Slytherin and kept his mouth shut. The couple continued to walk until they came to a group of their own House. The Slytherins were lounging on rocks, talking in hushed, self-important tones. They saw Draco and Allegra, nodded politely, but didn't say anything substantial.

"Our House is disappointingly quiet," Allegra sighed. "I wish I could get into conversations with them, but it's so very hard."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well," she continued, "I was trying to talk to Parkinson one day, and she completely brushed me off. It was sad. I wish we could be friends. I'm sure under her nasty exterior, she's a lovely person."

"Parkinson is just jealous that we're together," Draco huffed.

"Maybe," Allegra grimaced. "But I do wish I had some friends in our House. Most of my friends are in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."

"What about Gryffindor?" Draco chuckled. "Surely your happy-go-lucky attitude has tamed even their enormous egos."

Allegra looked at her feet sadly.

"I don't know why, but I keep getting this feeling that Gryffindors don't like me. I'm just as nice to them as I am to everyone else, but Fred and George Weasley are the only Gryffindors who are nice back."

Draco remained silent, hugging Allegra to his side supportively. Needless to say, he was rather upset by this turn of events. He knew that Allegra was sweet and loving and wanted to be friends with everyone, even though her choices in companions were less than admirable. It bothered him that the Gryffindors could treat her so badly without even giving her a chance to be nasty or at all Slytherin-like to them.

The pair eventually stumbled across three students clad in red and gold. The only girl had frizzy, brown hair and a book clutched to her chest. One of the boys had the trademark Weasley red hair and freckles. And the other was recognizable with his lightning scar and messy, black hair. Draco halted Allegra and held her back as he stepped forward.

"Hello, Potter," he spat.

"What do _you_ want, Malfoy?" Harry Potter groaned. The famous boy-wizard looked behind Draco and stared at Allegra for a moment. "Looks like you've changed company. Where are Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy?"

"Can't a man take a walk with his girlfriend without people questioning it?" Draco snorted, taking a step forward.

"Draco, c'mon," Allegra whispered, shrinking back. "Let's not get in a fight. We might do something we might regret."

"Well, I'm glad _someone_ finally saw something nice in you," Harry Potter retorted dryly. "Or is she only dating you because of your family?"

"What _about_ my family?" Draco snarled. He would have taken another step forward, but Allegra grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Harry, it's not worth it," the Gryffindor girl muttered. "They're just Slytherins."

"Shut up, you filthy mudblood!" Draco shouted, his blood suddenly boiling at the generalization made of his girlfriend and him.

The girl showed no sign of caring, but Allegra could see the pain behind her eyes.

"Draco, that's not okay," she scolded him quietly, her hands digging into his arm tighter. "You _know_ I hate it when you call people that."

"Dammit, Malfoy, leave Hermione alone!" Ron Weasley growled, pulling out his wand.

Draco yanked his arm out of Allegra's grip, reached into his robes, and withdrew his own wand.

"Stop!" Allegra and Hermione screamed at the same time as they lunged for the boys' arms.

"Ron, you'll get in trouble!" Hermione shouted as she grabbed Ron's elbow.

"Draco, you might hurt someone!" Allegra shrieked. She flailed her hand and managed to grab the handle of Draco's wand. Giving it a stiff yank, she pulled Draco's torso towards her.

"Give me back my wand, Allegra," Draco growled through gritted teeth. His nostrils flared. "Give me back my wand."

"No," Allegra said firmly, maintaining her grip. She yanked on Draco's arm again, pulling him closer. His face was a few inches from hers and they were eye-to-eye. "Listen to me…Please."

Draco's intense gray eyes stared into her big, brown ones. As each second ticked by, his eyes softened slightly.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered, reaching up and touching Allegra's cheek. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, turning around to sneer at the three Gryffindors before walking away.

…

"You know I hate it when you call someone that, Draco!" Allegra wailed.

"I can't change _everything_ about me, Allegra!" Draco spat back. "You can't expect me to become your ideal man in just one moment! You have to deal with the fact that some of my behaviors are here to stay!"

"But do you have to be so nasty to everyone?" she sobbed, turning away from him. "Do you have to be so…so…" She fell silent to her own crying.

"So what? What were you going to say?" Draco demanded, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her around to face him.

"So much like your father!" Allegra shrieked into his face.

Draco reeled back, a surprised snarl printing across his face.

"Excuse me? My father is a perfectly respectable wizard! I don't see what's so wrong about being like him!"

"I do!" Allegra yelled. "He's so rude to people who aren't like him. And so are you, Draco! I can't take it anymore! I can't take the slurs that you dish out on people! Do you realize how they look at you, Draco? They _hate_ you! Can't you see that?"

Draco's mouth drew into a tight line. His eyes grew hard and his arms were rigid by his sides.

"Do _you_ hate me?" he asked quietly. Allegra was silent. "Do you _hate_ me?" he repeated.

"When you're like this," Allegra sniffed, biting her lip and suppressing the wave of tears coming up to her eyes. "yes."

Draco stared at the sniveling girl. He turned stiffly on his heels and stalked away.


	27. Roller Coaster

"You seem a bit out of sorts today, Allegra," Mary Meriwether (a Hufflepuff) said, concerned as she watched Allegra's eyes space into nothingness. "Are you alright?"

"Hm?" Allegra sighed. "Oh yes. I'm fine…"

A group of Slytherins walked through the door, moving at their typical, swift speed. At the head of their triangular formation was Draco Malfoy.

Allegra turned her head away.

As Draco approached, he stared at the girl for a moment. It was at that moment that Allegra turned her head back. Their eyes locked and held their position for a few seconds.

Then, Draco ducked his head and led the green-and-silver procession down the corridor.

…

This was tortuous! He couldn't stand it. If he was really going to feel this guilty after every argument he had with Allegra, he'd rather just take her ignorance and be quiet about it.

…

This was tortuous! She couldn't believe it. If she was really going to think of nothing but him every time she had a little row with Draco, she'd rather just ignore his moods and just give him the very best while getting back the very worst.

…

"I'm sorry that I got angry, Draco."

"It's my fault. I should've kept my temper."

"I don't hate you, Draco. Honestly, I don't. I couldn't hate you if I tried."

"No, no. I understand that I can be a little difficult to deal with sometimes. I'll do my best to be better in your eyes, Allegra. I promise."

"Kiss?"

"Naturally!"


	28. The Drallegra Calendar

"Do you know what today's date is?" Whimsy whispered to George in study hall one day.

"Well, it must be a Monday. I saw Malfoy and Legzie snogging in the Great Hall," he mumbled back, poking his twin in the side to get his attention.

"What?" Whimsy asked, bewildered.

"Those two make the best calendar," Fred explained.

"If it's Monday," George said, ticking the days off on his fingertips, "keep out of their way. They won't stop snogging long enough to breathe."

"If it's Tuesday," Fred continued, "something will go wrong. It doesn't matter what. Something will go wrong and set them on edge."

"If it's Wednesday," George snorted, "they'll start quarreling about silly things because Malfoy gets irritated with Legzie's giggling and Legzie gets irritated with Malfoy's famous moods."

"If it's a Thursday," Fred went on, "then you can find Legzie and Malfoy squabbling after Potions."

"If it's a Friday," George grinned, "you can find them having an all-out brawl in a hallway or two."

"If it's a Saturday," Fred chuckled "they won't even speak to each other."

"If it's a Sunday," George sniggered, "Malfoy will make his usual apology and they'll be cuddling and cooing by dinner. He's getting better at the whole modesty thing, I hear."

"And on Monday," the twins laughed together, "it starts all over again!"

The teacher swooped by, glaring at the red-headed troublemakers. This caused them to duck back into their work, still chortling about their calendar.

"I think this relationship isn't good for Allegra," Whimsy sighed worriedly. "She needs someone more stable. You know her. She's going to get hurt too many times and then she'll become dark and cynical."

"You're over-analyzing things, love," Fred told her. "You're quite good at that. But Legzie will be perfectly fine. On and off relationships are perfectly normal."

"Yeah," George agreed. "Why, I recall a couple back when we were First Years that would always throw bloody tantrums. She was looking at another boy funny, so he would scream until he was blue in the face. He would be late for class or leave the Common Room in a state, so she would fly into a fury. Turns out they married each other after school. They were quite happy together, last time I heard about them."

"What House were they from again?" Fred asked.

"I believe they were Hufflepuffs."

Whimsy had a hard time imagining Hufflepuffs yelling in anger or even just yelling in general.

"And if you're worried because they're getting into quarrels so often," Fred said soothingly as he wrapped his arm around Whimsy's shoulder, "there's no need. It's getting close to summer holiday. The weather's getting warmer and the students are getting wigglier."

"And if the relationship becomes too much trouble for him," George nodded, "then Malfoy won't write to her. Sure, it may sting a bit on Legzie's end, but at least she'll be over it by next term."

"Who knows?" Fred chuckled. "Maybe she'll go after Harry."

Whimsy made a face.

"All three of us know that even if she did like him, he'd have nothing to do with her," she sighed sadly. "It breaks my heart to see people snub my best friend because of the House that she belongs to."

"Still on that prejudice thing, are we?" Fred snorted. "I thought I told you to stop worrying about it. Allegra doesn't know about snubs and things. And even if she did, her charm and grace would get her out of those kinds of situations."

"That gives me an idea," George grinned. He turned to his twin and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll bet you a Galleon that Allegra ends up hanging around a Gryffindor by the end of the summer."

"You're on," Fred chuckled, shaking George's hand eagerly. "That gives her exactly five months."

"Five months," George repeated, picking up his quill again.

"A Gryffindor friend for Allegra," Whimsy sighed. "That would be lovely, wouldn't it?"


	29. On the Ride Home

Blissful summer had finally arrived. Finals were over and the whole of Hogwarts could breathe as they packed their trunks and began their trek down to the train station. Hugs were exchanged as well as promises to write every day. Since it was a Monday, Allegra was tucked neatly under Draco's arm as he playfully kissed her ear every few seconds. Their affection gathered sickened looks from several Gryffindors, but Draco would fix them with an icy glare, which Allegra didn't see since she was so happy to be heading home to see her delightful pet. She was outlining her plans to her boyfriend animatedly.

"And then I'm going to rush into his pen and cry, 'Oh, my darling Mr. Cuddles! Mummy has missed her baby so very much!' And I shall kiss him and knit him a darling little sweater, but he won't be able to wear it until winter. Still, I'll read to him every night before I go to bed and give him a warm hug to remind him that I love him! Oh, Draco, I can't wait!"

"Won't you miss me over summer holiday?" Draco asked, looking into his girlfriend's eyes.

"Oh of course I'll miss you, Draco," Allegra smiled. "I couldn't stop thinking about you even if I tried."

"Why can't you ride in my compartment, darling?" Draco grumped.

Allegra sighed and kissed Draco's cheek.

"Whimsy and I always ride home together. It's tradition. If anyone understands the importance of tradition, I'm sure it's you." She batted her eyelashes impishly.

"Well, it's tradition that is ensuring me a lovely bride when it comes time for me to marry," Draco winked. "I can only thank my lucky stars that the woman I fell madly in love with can only be promised to another Slytherin of great lineage."

"Your father would be proud," Allegra teased.

"Oh let's not bring up my father again," Draco mock-pouted.

The two had reached the train and boarded. Once Allegra had walked Draco to his customary compartment, they stood holding hands outside the sliding door.

"Promise you'll write?" Allegra breathed.

"Every day," Draco nodded. "Will _you_?"

"I wouldn't dream of forgetting," Allegra sighed, resting her head on Draco's chest before kissing his lips softly. "You ought to go. You'll keep your friends waiting."

Draco didn't say anything, but instead grabbed Allegra's shoulders and pressed his lips passionately to hers. His arms wrapped around her waist as he swept her slightly off her feet into a dip. They stayed like this for several seconds until the trolley lady passed by and admonished their public display of affection.

"I love you, Draco."

"I love you too, Allegra."

They embraced once more before parting. Draco slid into the compartment and Allegra shuffled off towards the other part of the train. But she soon forgot her parting sorrows and skipped merrily to where Whimsy had told her to meet up with the group.

As usual, the Weasley twins were there to greet the Slytherin. But there were three other faces there as well.

"Oh, hello!" Allegra chirped happily. "I didn't know you'd be joining us on our way home. What a pleasant surprise!"

"Erm…Yes…quite," Hermione Granger coughed awkwardly. She elbowed Harry Potter in the side.

"Yeah," he nodded quickly. "A surprise."

Ron Weasley stared at Allegra for a second before turning and looking out the window with a sullen expression on his face. Fred and George grunted at him, but the youngest Weasley boy said nothing.

"Well, this is lovely," Allegra smiled, taking a seat between Whimsy and Hermione. "What an absolutely smashing crowd we have in here! So, Whimsy, when are you coming to spend some time at my house?"

"Well," Whimsy grinned, "I was thinking that I could come over for a week or two in July. But then Fred and George have asked me to come and stay for the summer."

"Oh!" Allegra winked. "How romantic!"

"That's us," Fred chuckled.

"Regular Romeos, we are," George snorted, elbowing his twin.

"Oh now you've got them started," Whimsy groaned. "This is all I shall hear the whole ride home."

"Sorry, Whimsy," Allegra teased. "Didn't mean to cause a problem with your beaus."

"Wasn't that a bit cruel?" Hermione suddenly asked, almost aggressively.

Allegra was taken aback. She sat back in her seat, her mouth slightly open.

"It was just a joke, Hermione," Fred shrugged.

"Yeah, lighten up, Granger," George chuckled. "You're used to jokes when we're around, aren't you?"

There was a whistle and the train lurched forward. Allegra's mind finally connected to her mouth and sent out a heartfelt request for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I don't know what I did to upset you, but I'm terribly sorry for it. I hope you'll still consider being my friend after offending you so badly, Hermione."

Ron choked slightly as he turned towards the Slytherin.

"Friend?" he gasped. "Be her _friend_? Excuse me, but do you even know who you are?"

"I…I'm Allegra Yollesgrave," Allegra stammered. "Do I not look like myself? Whimsy, why is everyone acting so very strange? I don't much like it…"

"Oh _you_ don't much like it," Ron snorted. "Well, pardon me for offending a pureblood Slytherin. If it weren't so cramped in here, I'd grovel!"

"Ron, shut up!" Fred shouted, smacking his younger brother's shoulder. "You're making a fool of yourself."

"Pay no mind to him, Legzie," George mumbled, grabbing Allegra's shoulders and making her look him in the face. "Ron's just being a bloody idiot."

"Why are you defending her?" Ron shouted. "She's a Slytherin!"

"Shut up, Ron!" Fred repeated.

Allegra stood up from her seat and stumbled out the sliding door into the corridor. She grabbed onto one of the railings to keep herself from being tossed forward as she held her hand to her heart and blinked several times.

"They don't mean what they say," she told herself. "They're only teasing. Only teasing…"

The door slid open and Whimsy walked out. She touched her friend's shoulder.

"Sit down, Allegra," she whispered.

Her friend obeyed and the Slytherin and Ravenclaw sat in the corridor for a while. Allegra bit back tears that she didn't understand and Whimsy patted Allegra's shoulder occasionally. When a few minutes had passed, Whimsy turned to her friend.

"You know, Ron is ignorant. His family doesn't get on well with people who have been in Slytherin and they can be somewhat prejudiced. But I want you to go back in there and show them your best smile and spirit. You're wonderful and you brighten up a room. Show them what a good person you are."

Allegra nodded and picked herself up before reentering the compartment. She smiled brightly to the inhabitants and sat down next to Fred and George.

"What is everyone planning to do over summer holiday?"

Silence…

"I'm going to spend some time with Mr. Cuddles. He's my pet."

More silence…

"Erm…D-Do you like…Quidditch?"

Nothing…

"Come off it, you three," Fred suddenly snapped. "Here poor Legzie is, trying to start a conversation and you act like she's not even here. Not very Gryffindor-like of any of you."

Harry coughed and looked in his lap.

"I…I rather like Quidditch…"

"Me too!" Allegra chirped. "Oh! I meant to congratulate you on a well-played season. You were splendid, Harry."

Harry looked up from his lap at the odd Slytherin.

"Er…Thanks…Thanks, Allegra."

Allegra seemed to open up and began chattering about everything. After a while, a smile crept on Harry's face. This girl was so odd and her constant talking made him laugh. Maybe she wasn't as bad as she seemed.

"…And I'm looking forward to my summer holiday very much! I'm going to play with Mr. Cuddles every day. Oh how I missed him this year! He's going to help me with my summer studies, you know…"

"Your summer studies?" Hermione echoed. She was mildly impressed that a Slytherin was actually motivated to take an advanced class.

"Oh yes," Allegra nodded. "I've been taking advanced Charms for two years now. Going on three next fall…" And then she dissolved back into her usual chatter.

Ron was not impressed. He glared out the window and occasionally at the reflection of the conniving Slytherin in the compartment. Maybe she had Fred and George fooled, but she didn't deceive him for one second.

"You know what might help you in carrying around your books and things for Charms?" Hermione was saying. "A bag like mine." She produced a beaded bag from her pocket. "It always comes in handy. Would you like me to get you one?"

"Oh I'd like that very much!" Allegra squealed. "Thank you, Hermione!"

"Allegra, you should come and stay with all of us when Whimsy does," Harry suggested.

"It'd be a full house," George pointed out.

"But when isn't it?" Fred finished for his twin.

Everyone laughed except Ron.

"I'll ask Mother and Daddy if I may," Allegra grinned. "It would be so much fun to spend the rest of my summer with you…But what would I do about Mr. Cuddles?"

"You could bring him along," Hermione shrugged. "I'm sure the Weasleys wouldn't mind having another pet around the place."

Fred and George sniggered.

"They might mind Mr. Cuddles," George laughed.

"We'd have no place to put him!" Fred guffawed.

Hermione and Harry shared a questioning look, but shrugged.

"You know, it's not a bad idea, dear," Whimsy said to Allegra. "You could use to get out of that dreary house."

"My house isn't dreary!" Allegra protested. She paused. "Well…at least not _my_ room." Whimsy and Allegra laughed.

"Y'know," Fred chuckled, "I've always wanted to know what Legzie's room would look like."

"Plenty of Slytherin colors, I suppose," George grinned.

"'Nothing is too much for the queen of House Pride,' as Miss Janviér always says," Fred quoted, winking at Whimsy completely undisguised.

"I'll send you a photograph," Allegra laughed, sitting back in her seat.

The six students (minus Ron, of course) chatted on until they reached London station. They disembarked and said their farewells to their friends. Allegra, who was quite a cuddly individual, gave hugs to her newfound companions, though the youngest Weasley son declined her squeeze quite harshly. However, despite the awkward silence that followed, Allegra maintained her cheery mood and promised that she would try to convince her parents to let her go and stay at the Weasley household, charmingly referred to as "The Burrow."

But, once the group disbanded and even Whimsy had walked off to find her parents, the Slytherin searched over the sea of heads in the hopes of finding the gleaming helm of golden-white which belonged to her lover. Her eyes peered through the crowd and scrutinized each member of the throng, but she didn't see the familiar head.

"Miss Yollesgrave," a deadpan voice spoke from behind her, "would it please you to come with me? I have…parked the car around the back of the station."

Allegra whirled around to see the sharp features of her father's assistant, Zachariah Clearwater. Obviously, the twenty-seven year-old, raven-haired man had been sent to pick her up from the station and transport her safely back to Yollesgrave Manor. The young student sighed and nodded, turning away from the mob of her fellows being greeted warmly by their parents.

Clearwater awkwardly stretched his hand out for Allegra to take. Allegra clasped her fingers around Clearwater's bony digits and felt his self-conscious grip. Zachariah Clearwater obviously didn't have children, nor knew how to greet a girl of fourteen like a fatherly figure.

The two figures strode out behind the train station. As soon as every Muggle was out of sight, Clearwater produced his twelve-and-a-half inch, yew, dragon heartstring wand, still grasping Allegra's hand tightly. There was a loud crack and the wizard and witch were nowhere to be seen.


	30. It All Leads to an Idea

The sun was shining and a gentle breeze wafted across the green lawns of Yollesgrave Manor. Allegra sat on a small bench in the rose garden, both her blonde hair and skirt waving in the timid wind. Her face was upturned to the sky and she folded her hands neatly in her lap. Occasionally, a small creature would scuttle by, hardly noticing the girl waiting patiently for the mail to be delivered.

Absentmindedly, she reached up and undid a few of the soft green buttons that were lining up on the crème-colored fabric of her dress. The matching cuffs around her wrists made movement slightly uncomfortable, but Allegra did not mind much now that her neck was allowed air. Her black stockings were warm and her black patent-leather shoes constricted her feet. She wriggled her toes at this thought.

Her eyes drifted over to Mr. Cuddles' residence, but snapped back up to the sky as she thought she heard the flutter of wings. She was mistaken and slouched in her seat.

"Why won't the mail come?" she pouted. "I haven't heard from Draco in weeks. Surely, something must be wrong with the postal system. I've written him nearly a hundred letters since summer holiday began and I haven't received a single reply. Perhaps he hasn't gotten any of them. Perhaps he hasn't had time to write."

She rested her head in her hands and gazed up at the fluffy clouds rolling by as she daydreamed of her Slytherin bad-boy. In fact, she was so caught up in her fantasies that she did not hear her father come up behind her.

"Allegra," he said sternly, "your mother and I have talked about your request to spend some time with the Weasley family."

Allegra whirled around, her eyes filled with hope.

"Oh?" she gasped, hands clasped together at her chest.

"We don't think you ought to be associating with that kind of people, Allegra," her father admonished. "They are not like us."

Allegra's face fell and her eyes began to water.

"However," Olave Yollesgrave continued, "since you have been keeping up quite well in your studies and Lucius Malfoy has been corresponding with me on what a good influence you are on Draco, I am going to allow this…on one condition."

By this time, Allegra had leapt up from her seat and began dancing all around the rose bushes. She eventually rushed over to her father and held his hands tightly.

"What?" she squealed. "What is it, Daddy? What do I have to do? I'll do anything!"

"Calm yourself, child," her father said in a clipped tone. "You must promise me that Miss Janviér will be there. I would like to think that at least one member of a respectable family will be there, even if she is only a Ravenclaw."

"I promise!" Allegra cried. She leapt into the air, allowing her skirt to billow behind her. The tight sleeves and cuffs of her dress no longer bothered her as she turned cartwheels along the stone path and sent up silver sparks with her wand, which had been concealed in her dress pocket. "I promise Whimsy will be there, Daddy! Oh, thank you so very much!"

Olave Yollesgrave tried to hide a smirk as he patted his daughter on the head and turned on his heels, walking back into his house to resume his studies.

Allegra, however, took off towards the little house which contained her dearest pet. She burst in to find the killer serpent snoozing on the floor in the afternoon sunlight which filtered in from the three large windows along the walls. The enchanted fire in the grate was reflecting off his silvery scales as he snored, his back arching and falling.

But, when he smelled Allegra's skin and heard her footsteps, his triangular head lifted from the frayed, green rug and his throat echoed with a happy hiss as his tail flicked, nearly wagging. His mouth opened into a silly-looking smile and his dull teeth shined white due to the lack of yellow venom pulsing through them.

"Mr. Cuddles!" Allegra squealed. "We're going to visit Whimsy and Frengeorge and Harry and Hermione and Ron!" She wrapped her arms around Mr. Cuddles' massive neck and kissed the place between his nostril slits.

Mr. Cuddles hissed and smacked his tail on the floor, causing the shack to tremble.

"I'm excited too, darling!" Allegra grinned. "I'll have to start packing right away so I don't forget anything."

A questioning rumble came from the snake and he began to coil the entirety of his long, nimble body.

"Of course I'll take you, my pet," Allegra nodded. "Mummy wouldn't dream of leaving her baby for summer holiday after she left him for all the term!"

Mr. Cuddles thumped his tail on the floor in pleasure again.

"I'm glad you approve," Allegra giggled. A thought washed over her face and she held her hands to her cheeks. "Oh dear! I must write to Draco and let him know that I shan't be home! Should I tell him to write to me at the Weasleys' house?"

Mr. Cuddles lowered his head, recalling the strange, frightened boy who had visited him during the wintertime.

"You're right," Allegra sighed. "He'd be upset if he knew that I was spending time away from home. He'd worry about me, I'm sure."

Mr. Cuddles almost seemed to nod, hissing softly and wrapping his tail around Allegra's waist in a serpentine embrace. Allegra laughed and snuggled in the helix of scales.

"I must figure out a way to take you with me, pet," she smiled. "And how would I feed you? I'm sure I couldn't take your food box with you…I suppose I could go out and buy you food. But who will be willing to sell me an entire flank of meat?"

She gazed up at the green-and-silver eye-patches. They twitched slightly as Mr. Cuddles' blind orbs pulsed. Allegra reached up and gently stroked the area that would possibly be Mr. Cuddles' eyebrows…if snakes had eyebrows.

"I'll figure it out, Mr. Cuddles," she promised. "Don't you worry." She wound her arms around the snake's neck and gave it a soft squeeze before kissing his jawbone. "I have to go. It's been at least twelve hours since I last wrote Draco. I'll come in to give you supper after I'm finished with my Charms research, alright?"

Mr. Cuddles hissed in delight and released Allegra, the very tip of his tail flicking back and forth so rapidly it was almost vibrating.

"Alright, then," Allegra grinned. "See you in a few hours, my pet!"

Mr. Cuddles listened for the hinges on the old door squealing and the sound of the latch clicking shut. When he was quite sure that his favorite human had retreated back into the outside world, he recoiled himself on the rug and laid his head down weightily, allowing his heavy breathing to lull him back to sleep.

…

Allegra pulled out her quill and a piece of parchment before messily scrawling a letter. She had already written to Draco and sent off the precious message with one of the trusted family owls. So, as she dipped her quill into the pot of ink on her desk, she giggled with glee.

_My dearest Whimsy,_

_You'll never believe my good fortune! Daddy approached me in the garden today and said I could go to the Burrow! Oh! I can't wait! I've had tingles ever since he told me and I still feel like my toes are on fire a bit! But I promised Daddy that you'd be there. Which of course you will be because Fred and George wouldn't dream of canceling on you. So, it shan't be necessary for you to come and stay. Go right away to the Weasleys' house and I shall meet you there! Mother and Daddy told me that I'll be escorted by Zachariah Clearwater (that's Daddy's assistant). I begged them to let me go on broomstick (I want the thrill, you see, of going to a new place) and they said yes! So Zachariah Clearwater will be dropping me off before heading back to my house. Oh I'm so excited! But I must close. The post has finally arrived and there is a package for me! Perhaps it is from Draco. I shall see you soon, Whimsy. Mother and Daddy say I shall arrive on the eighteenth of July. It's a Saturday, so I hope you shall all be awake._

_With love,_

_Allegra Yollesgrave_

Allegra folded the letter and shoved it in an envelope, scrawling Whimsy's address before using it to replace the small parcel on the lovely tawny owl's extended leg. The owl screeched and flapped away as Allegra turned the package over in her hands. It wasn't from Draco, but it still astounded her.

She ripped open the brown paper to have a small, green beaded bag fall into her hand alongside a folded piece of paper. Upon reading it, she laughed to find that it was from Hermione and that she hoped that Allegra was well and was making headway in her studies.

Allegra looked at the bag for a moment and back at the letter. Then, her eyebrows shot up on her face and she stared at the bag again.

"I have an idea," she mumbled to herself, a sly smile spreading across her face.


	31. Marina Confronts Her Husband

Marina Yollesgrave paced back and forth, wringing her hands as she stared at the floor, occasionally glancing at the door to her husband's study. She weighed her options before taking a deep breath and pushing the door open.

Olave Yollesgrave was sitting at his desk, reading, his spectacles perched on the end of his upturned nose. He glanced over the frames of his glasses before setting the book down and folding his hands in his lap.

"How may I help you, Marina?" he asked.

"Why are you allowing her to go?" Marina whispered franticly. "You know that the Malfoys and the Weasleys don't get along well. Supposing young Draco finds out and decides he doesn't like Allegra anymore? We won't find her a better match than Draco Malfoy, Olave. You know this."

"Marina," Olave said, in almost a singsong sigh, "I see no harm in allowing Allegra to visit the Weasleys as long as her friend from the Janviér line is there. They may be French, but they're still respectable. I'm sure Miss Janviér will not allow our daughter to get into trouble."

"But, Olave, her condition…"

"I am aware of Allegra's condition," Olave interrupted. "But you must realize that if we didn't let her go, it would have only accentuated the problem." He picked his book off his desk and cracked it open to where he left off, scanning the next line of text as he mumbled "She thinks she has our approval. And when I say 'our approval,' I mean that she thinks you have agreed as well. I wouldn't attempt to change her mind, Marina. The repercussions could be disastrous, I would think."

"You're impossible, Olave!" Marina shrieked, storming out of the study and slamming the door.

Olave's eyes crinkled in the faint remembrance of a smile as he turned the page and sighed contentedly, going back to his work.


	32. Arriving at the Burrow

Clearwater was uncomfortable. That much was certain. His hands gripped the handle of his own broomstick; his cool blue eyes followed the jerky movements of Allegra's broom as she flopped up and down or swerved left and right.

"This is fun!" Allegra called out as her beaded bag swung from her wrist and her enchanted trunks tried in vain to follow her in a decently straight pattern. "I wish Mother and Daddy would let me fly places more often!"

Clearwater thought about this prospect and felt sick to his stomach. His knuckles turned white as his grip on the broomstick reached such a level that the handle nearly disintegrated. Being around the Yollesgrave heir always made him uncomfortable. She was so happy all the time; it was unsettling.

"Ooh! Look at that, Mr. Clearwater!"

Clearwater turned his head to see Allegra suddenly dropping below the cloud cover to follow what looked like a Muggle's red car. A frantic high-pitched gasp sprung from his throat as he plummeted after her, grabbed her broomstick handle, and hauled her back up into the clouds.

"Do you want to get us caught?" he exclaimed.

"No," Allegra shrugged. "I just thought it was shiny. I like shiny things."

Clearwater smacked himself in the forehead and grimaced. However, Allegra was obedient for the rest of the trip, being careful never to soar beneath cloud cover again. She even attempted to keep her broom going in a straight line for a while, but eventually gave up that pursuit and resumed flopping and swerving.

Eventually, they had reached the country and were permitted to fly a little lower. Allegra gaped at all the scenery. Things were so much more bright and cheerful here. Even the grass looked filled with life. She kept an eye out for large, empty-looking buildings, but didn't see very many. The houses were smaller and quainter.

When they had arrived, Clearwater leapt off his broom and disenchanted Allegra's trunks, letting them fall to the ground with a soft thud. Allegra gazed up at the house in awe as she walked up the dirt path to the front yard.

The entire house was surrounded by trees. A little round-roof structure made of metal was a few yards from the house and a blue Muggle car was parked near it. As they passed it, Allegra reached out and brushed her fingertips along the hood.

The house itself looked quite crooked, as if the building would come crashing down if a light breeze swept through. There was a square base structure which had a chimney coming out of it. Then, a rectangular prism was built on to the back of the square. And then, at the top of the prism, a smaller rectangle jutted out, supported by two beams attached to the roof of the square building. A half-height brick wall in front of the house sandwiched in the gate, which Clearwater pushed open as he grabbed Allegra's hand.

The escort rapped three times on the door. There was a great clamor inside, including at least three voices crying "I'll get it!" in unison. The sounds of a mild skirmish emerged from within before Fred, the victor, threw open the door and grinned.

"Hello, there, Legzie! Did you have a nice trip?"

"Lovely," Allegra smiled.

"Who's your friend?" Fred asked, eyeing Clearwater anxiously.

"This is Zachariah Clearwater," Allegra explained. "He's Daddy's assistant. He helped me get here."

"Oh," Fred nodded. "Well, pleasure to meet you, sir."

Clearwater only nodded before patting Allegra's shoulder and mounting his broom. With a swift kick to the ground, he was up in the air on his way back to Yollesgrave Manor.

"Not keen on talking, is he?" Fred joked, grabbing Allegra's hand. "C'mon! You have to meet the rest of the family."

As they were walking in, they caught up with Whimsy and George who were sulking in the hallway because they didn't get to answer the door. Allegra stared at the wall-hangings that all seemed to move in the queerest ways. There was even a clock on the wall which had several hands, each explaining where a Weasley child was at any given time. She noticed that most of them were home.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Whimsy squealed as she enveloped Allegra in a hug. "We're even going to share a room!"

Allegra gasped and giggled giddily.

"Everyone!" Fred called as he entered the kitchen. "We have company!"

"Allegra?" said a familiar voice. Hermione came rushing in, toting Harry behind her. "Hello!" she grinned, running over and giving Allegra a hug.

"Hi," Harry smiled, also hugging his new friend.

"Was your trip nice?" Hermione asked.

"Very," Allegra told her. "I've never ridden on a broom for that long of a distance before. It was quite a thrill!"

"Why haven't you?" Harry asked.

"I'm not too graceful, I suppose," Allegra shrugged. She turned to Fred. "Now where is that family I'm supposed to meet?"

Fred chuckled and called for them again. This time, a sweet-looking young girl poked her head in from the garden.

"Ginny, come here," Fred ordered. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Ginny glided over, the epitome (at least in Allegra's eyes) of grace. She looked at Allegra for a minute before speaking.

"I know who you are," she said. "You're Draco Malfoy's girlfriend."

"I am," Allegra nodded. "My name is Allegra Yollesgrave."

"I'm Ginny Weasley," Ginny muttered. She turned to her brother and gave him a questioning look.

"Go get Mum," Fred told her, giving her a gentle shove back towards the door out into the garden.

George slung his arm around Allegra's shoulders and gave her arm a friendly pat. Allegra didn't realize that she should feel awkward in this situation. She just smiled cheerily and awaited her next introduction.

"What is it, Fred?" a woman's voice called from the door. "Ginny says you want me." A red-headed woman poked her head into the kitchen, a cheerful smile on her face. When she saw Allegra, her eyebrows shot up, but her facial expression remained the same. "Oh. Do we have company? I don't recall you telling me about this, Fred. Is this a friend of yours?"

"Actually, Mum," Fred grinned, "this is Allegra. She's Whimsy's best mate. So I figured I'd invite her to spend the summer too."

Mrs. Weasley gave a surprised look at her son before turning to Allegra.

"Well, I'm pleased to meet you, dear," she smiled. She gave a rough look to her son. "We'll discuss this later, Fred."

Fred rolled his eyes and patted Allegra on the back.

"C'mon, Legzie. Let's go up to your room."

George grabbed Allegra's arm and hauled her to a case of rickety-looking stairs. They spiraled up to a square-shaped landing which stretched all the way around the interior of the house, leaving a gaping hole where the stairs were and a balcony which lined the walls. Once on the landing, George took a stiff right turn and walked along the balcony.

Several doors with nameplates carved in the wood above them stood open. Allegra had no qualms about peering into the rooms beyond.

The first door had Fred and George's names carved over it. A bed was on each side of the room. There was a lighter colored F on the red comforter of the bed on the left and a lighter colored G on the green comforter of the bed on the right. Posters of Quidditch teams and wizards with maniacal grins on their faces, sinister-looking prank machines in their gloved hands lined the walls like wallpaper. There was a wooden bookshelf on either side of the room, but neither had many books on them. Most of the shelves were littered with magazines and dirty clothes.

The next door had _Percy_ written over it. Allegra looked in the room. It was quite different from the room the twins shared. One bed was situated on the wall furthest from the one the occupant shared with the twins. Bookshelves were mounted on that particular wall and were covered with thick books and various medals and awards. A desk was placed below the window and a fluffy-haired, red-headed boy with a lanky frame was hunched over it. The sound of a quill scratching fervently on parchment betrayed what he was doing.

"Writing to Penelope, eh, Percy?" George asked, tapping on the door with a smirk.

"Mmph," the scrawny young man replied, not looking up.

George looked at Allegra, giving an overdramatic shrug before pulling her to a third door. He pushed it open and Allegra peered in to find that Whimsy had already been hard at work making herself at home in the small guestroom.

A neat blue comforter was spread over one of the beds. The bookshelves on the same side as the made-up bed were neatly filled with books, obviously organized by author, title, subject, and cover color. No stray papers or other forms of clutter could be seen in the entire room.

"I've always wondered what Whimsy's room would look like," Allegra grinned. "I guess now I know."

The Slytherin plopped down on the opposite bed and sighed in content. Closing her eyes, she snuggled on the naked mattress, smelling the odor of freshness.

"Erm," George snorted from the doorway, "would you like some linens with that or do you prefer to sleep on a bare bed?"

Allegra blinked and stared at the smirking Weasley before rolling off onto the floor. She giggled before skipping over to the door and pushing past him.

"Are you going to have your servants get my trunks?"

George gave her a funny look, folding his arms across his chest.

"Legzie, we don't have servants. It doesn't work that way here."

Allegra blushed and bit her lower lip.

"Sorry. I don't go much anywhere beside school and my house."

"It's alright," George chuckled, pulling her into a friendly hug. "You'll learn. You're here for the whole summer after all."

"I hope I learn quickly," Allegra blushed. "That was rather embarrassing."

George laughed again before telling her that he'd get her some sheets and blankets for her bed and calling down to Fred to bring up Allegra's luggage. It wasn't much longer before Whimsy swished into the room and gave her friend a tight squeeze.

"Oh, Allegra, I'm so excited for this summer holiday!" she squealed. "Just think about it. We don't have to hide in your bedroom or outside all the time to avoid the darkness of your house. Isn't the Burrow so lovely and airy and free?"

"Why, Whimsy, I do believe that you are much less up-tight here than you are anywhere else." Allegra grinned and sat her friend down on the chair by the neat and tidy desk. She slowly began winding her pale fingers through Whimsy's cinnamon-colored hair to make a braid.

"I can't imagine why that would be," Whimsy blushed.

"Oh I can," Allegra winked. "I think it's because of your two handsome suitors. They're quite entertaining."

"I agree," Whimsy laughed. She tilted her head to one side, allowing Allegra to reach hair on a different part of her head. "By the way, how is _your_ special someone?"

Allegra thought for a moment before shrugging. "I haven't heard from Draco for a while. He must just be busy this holiday."

Whimsy paused for a moment and began overanalyzing everything. What if Draco was ignoring Allegra because of his pompous ways? What if he was planning on dumping her at the beginning of term and this was just leading up to it? What if he was cheating on her?

"Whimsy, are you alright?"

Whimsy snapped out of it to see Allegra's concerned face as well as Fred and George hauling green and silver trunks into the bedroom.

"Oh…I'm fine," she muttered. She stood up from the chair and shook out her hair so it fell in its usual waves around her shoulders. "Shall we unpack your things, dear?"

Allegra's face lit up and she dashed to her luggage, hauling the first trunk onto her bed and unlatching the lid.

Whimsy sighed in relief.


	33. Ron and Harry Meet Mr Cuddles

Allegra snuck out into the garden, peering around corners to see if anyone was there. She saw a flash of red hair as Molly Weasley bustled back in the house, probably to begin cooking dinner.

The blonde girl quickly hid behind a bush and into some trees before finding a tiny sunny clearing. Allegra looked back and forth as she pulled the beaded bag Hermione had given her from her sweater pocket. She pulled open the drawstring and looked inside.

"Are you alright in there, darling?" she whispered.

A guttural hiss issued from the depths of the bag.

"I'm sorry, my pet," Allegra sighed. "Mummy wishes that she could travel with her baby easier, but this was the only way." She reached into the bag. A sharp crack sounded from the blackness and Allegra yanked out her hand, squealing. "Now, now, Mr. Cuddles. That was quite rude! You know better than to snap at me. I know that you're a bit cramped in there, but we must make the best of things. Would you rather have stayed at home?"

There was silence as the serpent within the bag contemplated the thought.

"Now, I'm going to try to take you out again," Allegra said soothingly. "Are we going to this the easy way or the hard way?"

Still, there was silence. Allegra reached in the bag and felt the cool scales on her pet's nose. She set the bag down and whistled softly. The bag bulged for a moment before Mr. Cuddles' head poked out of the opening. He shook his snout back and forth to get the scent of fresh air in his nostril slits.

"I'm going to get you some supper. I'll just…" She withdrew her wand from another pocket and loosened her "charming arm." Giving it a quick flick, she whispered, "_Accio _Cuddles Feed." A flank of red meat came soaring through the air and Allegra caught it with a floating charm. She was just lowering it into Mr. Cuddles' mouth when…

"Bloody hell!"

Allegra's head whipped around, causing the meat to go into free fall, smacking Mr. Cuddles on the nose. He hissed indignantly.

"Wh-What is th-that?" Ron whimpered, pointing a shaky finger at the giant snake.

"It's my basilisk," Allegra groaned. "And I don't appreciate you giving him such a fright."

"B-B-Basilisk?" Ron squealed.

"I was just feeding him when you…"

"HARRY!" Ron screamed, running out of the forest. "HARRY! HARRY, HAAALP!"

"What a baby," Allegra snorted. She ran over to her beloved pet and kissed his nose. "I'm sorry, my darling. Mummy will clean your dinner and get it in your poor hungry tummy right away." She quickly levitated the meat and began squirting water all over it to wash off the debris. She lowered the meat into the gaping jaws of her dear pet just as…

"…Oh my God…"

"What is it _now_?" Allegra groaned and whirled around again. This time, she saw a raven-haired boy with green eyes blinking behind round spectacles, his scraggly bangs blowing in the slight breeze to reveal the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Oh. Hello there, Harry." She grinned. "This is Mr. Cuddles. He's my pet."

"Allegra…" Harry's mouth was gaping open and he fell back against a tree. He tried the sentence again. "Allegra, _this_ is your _pet_?"

Allegra made a positive chirping sound before stroking Mr. Cuddles' snout again.

Ron came crashing through the trees, pointing at the snake.

"There! There it is! Harry! Harry, kill it! Kill it!"

"NO!" Allegra screamed, leaping in front of Mr. Cuddles' face protectively. She gave a pleading look to Harry. "Why would you do that, Harry? He doesn't mean anyone any harm."

"It's a bloody _basilisk_, Harry!"

"He's _blind_, Harry!"

"Its venom could kill my whole _family_, Harry!"

"His teeth can't pierce _skin_, Harry!"

"Shut up!" Harry shouted, covering his ears. Ron and Allegra fell silent and Mr. Cuddles towered over Allegra, ready to strike if something were to go awry. "Allegra…you should send your pet home. He could be deadly to everyone here."

"No!" Allegra sobbed. She pulled up Mr. Cuddles' lip, revealing his dull teeth. "See? He's fine! Please don't send him away. Please. I've had him since he was a little baby. He's the one I look after. I love him. Look." She pulled her locket from her neck and opened it to show the two pictures.

Harry looked at the picture of Mr. Cuddles placed right next to the picture of Draco Malfoy and grimaced at the sight of his school nemesis. But, as he glanced back up at Allegra's watering brown eyes, his heart softened.

"How are you going to keep him out of sight?"

"Harry!"

"Quiet, Ron. How are you going to keep him out of sight?"

"I don't see why this is such a big deal," Allegra huffed. "My precious Mr. Cuddles is completely and utterly tame."

Ron shuddered and Mr. Cuddles' snout turned in that direction. The youngest Weasley son squealed, hiding behind a tree.

"It's just that…your pet is a little bit unusual and I don't know if Ron's parents would be okay with him…hanging about the place."

"More like _lurking_ in the darkness, ready to pounce on me and guzzle me down when I go across the hall to take an innocent pee in the night…"

"Ron." Harry's voice was gaining a warning tone.

"It's a bloody basilisk, Harry," Ron snorted. "Do you expect me to welcome that thing with open arms and say, 'Oh, c'mere, you ol' thing. Allow me to make you some jam and toast?'"

Harry rolled his eyes and reached out, grabbing Allegra's arm.

"Just keep him out of sight, alright?" he muttered. "Why don't you hide him in that bag and you can bring him out to exercise after supper every night. We can meet you here, if you'd like."

Allegra squealed with joy and threw her arms around Harry's neck. Harry stumbled forward slightly before timidly returning the spontaneous hug. He couldn't help but feel something turn inside of him when he saw Allegra happy. It was similar to what he felt when he saw Hermione after she aced a difficult test or Ron after he won a particularly challenging game of wizards' chess.

"Thank you so much, Harry," she bubbled happily. She stroked Mr. Cuddles' broad neck and gave him an affectionate pat on the chin.

"Yeah," Ron snarled. "Thanks a lot, Harry." The red head turned and stalked out of the clearing back towards the house.

Allegra stared after him, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Why doesn't he like me? What did I _do_ to him?"

Harry sighed and touched Allegra's shoulder gently.

"Listen," he whispered, "Allegra, you're a really sweet person. Ron…he just hasn't had time to see it yet. Don't worry. He'll come around. I promise."

A cool wind swept through the clearing and Mr. Cuddles hissed anxiously.

"Oh!" Allegra gasped. "I'm so sorry, my pet. I didn't realize it was getting cold. I ought to get you inside where it's warm. I promise we'll play a game tomorrow after supper. Now, back into your bag, darling. There we go. Good boy."

Once Mr. Cuddles had begrudgingly slithered back into the beaded bag, Allegra stooped down and scooped it off the ground, pulling the drawstrings taut.

"Are you cold, Allegra?" Harry asked.

Allegra looked at her bare arms to see that goosebumps were cropping up and rubbed her hand over her upper arm to warm them.

"I guess it is a bit chilly," she shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"No…it's okay…" Harry whipped off his jacket and handed it to his new friend. "Here."

A pinkish color rose to Allegra's cheeks as she took the jacket and slipped her arms into the sleeves. For a moment, her mind flickered to whether Draco would be jealous or not. But at the thought of Draco, her face split into a grin and she grabbed Harry's arm, hauling him back through the trees toward the Burrow.

"What's the hurry?" Harry shouted, his voice bouncing as he ran. "Supper won't be ready for at least another fifteen minutes."

"That gives me just enough time to write Draco," Allegra squealed. "I must dash, Harry! I haven't written to him since I got here! Oh! He'll be so worried about me!"


	34. Dirty Deeds

The firelight flickered as Draco's eyes wandered over to the box where he had carefully stashed all the letters Allegra had sent him. They were all unopened. But, he was a busy man. Certainly, Allegra would understand that someone like Draco Malfoy couldn't be expected to get back to letters right away.

He tied the belt of his black, silk robe as he reclined on the couch.

"Draco," said a sultry voice from behind him.

He tilted his head back and smiled to see the pretty girl with raven-colored hair who he had invited back to his house after a party his parents had dragged him to. This was going to be a marvelous payoff.

The girl sat down next to him and wound her arms around his waist. He kissed her plump lips greedily as the fire continued to blaze.


	35. Allegra's Secret

While things at the Burrow were fairly smooth, even with Mr. Cuddles around, Ron was not pleased with them. He slunk around the house like an angry, old cat, snarling at everything that remotely had Allegra's touch to it.

One day, he happened upon his least favorite house guest observing his parents' wedding pictures on the wall. A small smile had found its mark on her face and her arms were folded.

"I bet you're jealous," Ron snorted as he walked by.

"Sorry?" Allegra breathed, turning her head to give her full attention to Ron.

"I said you're jealous," Ron repeated sourly. "Being a Slytherin, you'll never marry someone you love."

"That's not true," Allegra said, shocked.

"Yes it is. You'll end up with some stuck-up git like Malfoy."

"What's wrong with Draco?"

"Nothing if you like stuck-up gits," Ron snarled.

"I love Draco," Allegra announced, her eyes filled with confusion and hurt. "Why would you say something like that about my boyfriend, Ron?"

"Stop pretending you're so bloody nice!" Ron shouted. "I know who you really are! You're just a slimy, ambitious, vain pureblood like the rest of your Housemates." He took a stride towards her, nearly pinning her to the wall. "I see right through you, Yollesgrave. My family may have fallen for your cheery smile, but I know you. I know _all_ of you and your sort."

"Ron, please stop it," Allegra sniffled, tears welling in her eyes. "You're hurting my feelings…"

Ron shoved her.

"Heaven forbid I hurt _your_ feelings before you have the chance to hurt my whole family." He shoved her again. "Even if you did love Malfoy, which I bet you don't, he wouldn't love you back. He's incapable of love. I bet you he's cheating on you right now."

"ENOUGH!" Allegra suddenly shrieked, her face growing redder than the afternoon sun. She burst her way out of Ron's grip and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "Draco would never cheat on me," she growled menacingly. She whirled Ron around and shoved him up against the wall with a loud thud. "Never say that about him ever again or I'll _kill_ you. Now. Leave…me…_alone_." She slammed Ron's back into the wall over and over again, hard enough to make him cry out in pain with each blow.

"ALLEGRA!" shouted two voices in unison. The Weasley twins ran forward, grabbing the Slytherin's arms and attempting to pry her off their brother.

But the girl snarled at them in such an animalistic manner that they immediately released her.

"What's going…RON!" Hermione screamed as she entered the room. She frantically pawed at the back of Allegra's shirt.

Suddenly, Allegra's arm released Ron and swung around, striking Hermione in the stomach and causing her to fall backwards and collide with the opposite wall. Fred and George ran to aid her.

However, just as quickly as it had come, the red hue on Allegra's face faded to be replaced by a pale, tearful complexion. She gasped and dropped Ron to the floor, backing away shakily.

The previous confidence Ron had held in his face melted and panic burst from within. He scrambled up to his feet, feeling the sharp sting in his spine. But he soon forgot the pain when he saw the look on Allegra's face.

"All I ever wanted was to be friends," Allegra sobbed. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm so sorry, Ron…I'm so sorry…" She fell to the ground, holding her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms. "So sorry…So sorry…"

Ron didn't know what to do. His body started moving of its own accord as he stooped down and brushed his fingertips against Allegra's shoulder. Feeling the warmth, he pressed his palm to her arm and got down on his knees. He stared at her for another few seconds before slowly cradling her in his arms and stroking her hair soothingly.

"Th-There, there," he mumbled. He felt her body shake with sobs and couldn't help but hold her closer. "Calm down. Don't cry."

This only made Allegra cry harder and Ron began to panic. Fred and George's mouths dropped open, their hands still clutching Hermione's arms to help her stand up. Hermione had a shocked and scared look on her face. It was then that Whimsy walked into the hallway, giving the pair on the floor as well as the audience of three an odd look.

"Come on, Allegra. I'll take you upstairs to our room," she said simply.

"It's okay," Allegra said, suddenly chipper again. She bounced up the stairs, waving back down to the first floor. "I'll see you later, Ron. It was nice talking to you!"

Ron and Whimsy stared up after her, silently. The whole hallway experienced a deathly silence.

"I think something's wrong with her," Whimsy whispered. "I used to think it was just her personality…but…that was insane…Maybe I'm just overanalyzing things again."

"No," Fred said, finally pulling Hermione back to her feet. "For once, I think you're _not_ overanalyzing things…"

...

Around midnight, when Allegra and the rest of the household had fallen asleep, Whimsy was sitting by the window. A cool breeze was wafting in, making the lace curtains blow into the room like pale ghostly arms. Any shadow in the darkness drew her attention as she eagerly awaited the reply to the letter she had sent early that afternoon.

And then…her patience was rewarded.

An owl with plumage as black as the night itself swooped noiselessly into the window and perched on the desk. It extended its leg, revealing a little, black leather bag. Whimsy untied it from the owl's leg, but instead of flying away, it waited for a reply.

Inside the bag, Whimsy found a small roll of parchment, sealed with the Yollesgrave crest. She carefully unrolled it to make as little noise as she could and turned on a lamp, careful to only illuminate the paper and not the whole room.

_Miss Janviér,_

_I must first inform you that what is in this letter is to remain of the strictest confidence. I am only sharing it with you because I find you trustworthy of our family's secret. Secondly, I must ask you that you do not tell my wife that you know of Allegra's condition. She is not aware that I am telling you and will most likely disapprove of your knowledge in this matter, despite my feelings on the subject. And lastly, I must ask you never to tell Allegra. She knows nothing of this and it is her parents' decision to let it remain that way._

_Allegra is what Muggles call "bipolar." This means that she tends to violently change moods. This makes being around her in a dramatic situation very trying. In some cases, it has even been dangerous to those around our daughter. We have attempted to remedy the situation by creating as little friction as possible in her growing up._

_We have also found that, in the presence of her basilisk, she is surprisingly calm and at ease. There has never been a case so far when she has had a fit when around her pet. Allegra's mother and I have known this since we found the serpent in a shop in Nocturn Alley. Allegra, then only four years old, took a liking to the sickly little thing (it was only about three feet long at the time) and I wasted no precious moments in purchasing it for her. She raised it as carefully and gently as a mother and, for a time, she seemed to be cured._

_However, when she began school, the fits became more frequent again. They were not as aggressive as the one you have described to me in your letter, but they were enough to worry her mother and myself once again. We made it a point to bring her back home for every holiday possible so she might be around a more comfortable environment and her beloved snake._

_In her second year, I believe, she met you. School became a better surrounding for her with your cool head keeping her in check. Mrs. Yollesgrave and I have always been quite thankful to you for this. This is another reason why I feel justified in telling you this information._

_Do understand that our family cannot have such a story about Allegra circulating as it would damage her reputation beyond repair. This must be kept covert. Please reply with my owl. I shall send back the bird which delivered your letter in the morning as its light-colored plumage might compromise the secrecy of our correspondence._

_Olave Yollesgrave_

Whimsy held her hand to her mouth, her eyes staring in disbelief at the story of Allegra's life written before her. She shook her head and bit her lower lip.

"I shan't tell a single soul," she whispered to herself, retrieving a piece of parchment to on which to write her reply. "I'll take this with me to the grave."


	36. Draco's Guilt

Draco sat in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling. The girl had gone home, leaving him quite satisfied. But now, lying in his bed with the covers gathered at his midsection and his chest bared to the moonlight streaming in from the window, Draco's eyes could not close in sleep.

Painful flashes kept coming before his eyes. One moment, he pictured Allegra nearly throttling him with rage. The next, she was weeping pitiably. He rolled over on his side. The nightmares had entered the real world.

And then, something hit him…

He rolled out of bed, his bare feet stumbling on the wooden floor as he retrieved the box of unopened letters from Allegra from beneath his desk. Pulling the most recent letter, he gasped in horror.

The return address was Weasley's.

"No," Draco whispered. "She wouldn't…She _couldn__'__t_. Weasley…That _whore_!"

He quickly grabbed a sweater, pulling it over his head as he ran to his desk. Slamming into his chair, he pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill.

"No," he muttered feverishly as he ran a hand through his already-messy blonde hair. "I'm not letting that Weasley scum steal my girlfriend from me. Who does she think she is, cheating on me? Does she even _know_ who I am?"

_Well, you did cheat on her first…_

"Shut up," he told the voice in his head. "It doesn't matter…Moment of weakness. The point is, the woman I love is seeing that filthy Muggle lover behind my back…This has to be stopped."


	37. Allegra's Birthday

The end of July brought the summer months to a close, but not before Allegra turned fifteen. The sun rose over the horizon, bringing the birthday girl with it.

Whimsy was having a lovely dream about owning a library when she found herself being poked awake. When she opened her eyes, her field of vision was filled with her best friend's face. Whimsy let out a tiny shriek as her eyes bulged.

"Allegra," she scolded, "are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Whimsy," her friend said somberly, "I'm fifteen today. I feel so…grown up…" Allegra moved to sit on her own bed again, holding a piece of parchment to her heart. "Draco sent me a letter."

"Finally," Whimsy grimaced as she sat up, rubbing her eyes and placing her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "I thought he was _never_ going to respond to you."

"Oh it's alright," Allegra breathed, lying on her stomach and kicking her legs up in the air. "It's a lovely letter. Listen to this, Whimsy. 'My heart has not stopped beating for you ever since we parted on the train and I regret the business which has kept me from responding to your endearing letters earlier.' Oh, Whimsy…Isn't he lovely?"

Whimsy rolled her eyes and said that Draco had no excuse for writing this late as he had the whole summer.

"He said he was busy," Allegra said simply. She continued to read the letter. "'I ache for you, my love, and I cannot wait to see you again once we get to school. Things have not been the same here ever since I met you. I cannot sleep nights.' Isn't that sweet?"

Whimsy rolled her eyes.

"'Do have a happy birthday, sweet love. I shall see you soon. Love, your darling Draco.'"

"He certainly has a way with words," Whimsy snorted as she threw off her covers and proceeded to pick out her outfit of the day. "It seems like he's hiding something to me."

"Like what?" Allegra asked, still holding the letter to her face as if to smell Draco's scent on the parchment.

"I dunno," Whimsy shrugged.

There was a knock at the door. After a few moments, it opened and two cheery faces popped around the corner.

"Happy birthday to you," Fred sang.

"Happy birthday to you," George hummed.

"Happy birthday, dear Allegra," Hermione and Harry harmonized as they entered the room as well.

"Happy birthday to you!" Ron finished as he appeared in the doorway, holding a small, green-iced cake.

Allegra's jaw dropped and she let the letter flutter to her bed, momentarily forgotten. She let out a squeal of joy as she bounced off the mattress and flew at her friends, grabbing Harry and Hermione in a fierce hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she laughed. She released Harry and Hermione and moved to Fred and George. "You are the best friends a girl could ever ask for!" Then, she fluttered to Ron, who had handed the cake to Hermione and gratefully accepted Allegra's embrace.

They had been on better terms since Allegra's breakdown. Of course, part of this was out of Ron's fear of being beaten up by a girl again. But he also felt more sympathetic towards her. He understood that he hadn't given her much of a chance and endeavored to change that with the typical Gryffindor spirit.

Allegra's birthday was spent with much laughter. Hermione helped the birthday girl put the finishing touches on her Charms presentation for the beginning of school. Fred and George crept around the house playing good-natured pranks on her. They never ceased to feel joy whenever they saw her laugh. Ron actually spent time talking with Allegra to find that they actually did have things in common. Whimsy rarely left Allegra's side until later in the evening when she felt pulled more in Fred and George's direction. This left Allegra and Harry to play with Mr. Cuddles as the sun set between the trees.

"Y'know, Allegra," Harry smiled as he watched Allegra wrestle to get a large ball out of Mr. Cuddles' mouth in order to throw it again. "You're sure not a typical Slytherin at all."

"I know," Allegra chuckled, tossing the ball into the trees a little for the blind snake to seek out with his sensitive smell.

"I rather like that," Harry smirked, leaning against a tree. "I'm glad I got to know you better."

Allegra paused, turning her head and smiling at Harry broadly.

"You don't know how much it pleases me to hear you say that. I'm glad I got to know you better too. And Hermione and Ron as well…I didn't think I'd be getting so many Gryffindor friends in one summer. I have a bit of an affinity towards them now. I hope I can get some more during this school year."

Harry laughed and flinched as he saw the basilisk rise into attack position, the brightly colored rubber beach ball in its jaws. He still hadn't quite gotten used to the creature when it reared like that. Still, there was something a bit shaky in its stance, like it was tired or something.

"We should get Mr. Cuddles inside," Allegra finally said as she yanked the ball from her pet's mouth. "He's looking a little cold and you know how snakes are."

"Yeah," Harry smirked as he watched Allegra pat the snake affectionately on the snout. "You sure love that thing."

"Of course I do," Allegra laughed. "You love Hedwig, don't you?"

"Of course," Harry nodded.

"It's because she was one of your first friends. Mr. Cuddles was one of my first friends. In fact, I can't remember my parents asking anyone to come and play with me until I had Mr. Cuddles…He _was_ my first friend, come to think of it."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know…" Allegra trailed off, trying to remember bits and pieces from her early childhood. But she couldn't, so she herded Mr. Cuddles back into the bag. "I'll have to send him home tomorrow. Poor thing. He pines for me terribly when I'm gone. I miss him too. But, I can't take him with me to Diagon Alley to shop for school supplies. And we'll be on the train soon after. I won't have a chance to send him home after that."

"Don't worry," Harry smiled, patting Allegra's shoulder. "I'll keep you company while we shop. You won't have time to think about him, you'll be having so much fun."


	38. Draco's Scheme

Draco paced back and forth in his room. His hands were clutched behind his back and a worried sweat had beaded on his forehead. He bit his lower lip as his eyes were glued to the wall ahead.

"I bet she's with him right now…" he mumbled to himself. "I bet she's cuddling…_snogging_ that stupid, red-headed, mudblood-loving, poor, worthless little rat!" He ran his hands through his hair, making it even messier. "And why hasn't she written me back? I sent her that letter several days ago! Where is my reply?" he shouted, pounding his fists on the wall when he reached it.

There was a knock at the door.

"GO AWAY!" Draco shrieked.

"Pardon me, master," replied a meek voice from the other side of the door. "But your father has requested me to inform you that you will be going off to Diagon Alley to purchase school supplies before long."

Draco whirled around and stared at the door, a manic grin spreading across his face.

"School supplies…OF COURSE!" he laughed in a high-pitched tone. "I'll see Allegra with…_Weasley_ there. I'll catch them in the act!" He laughed again and wrung his hands. "No…Better still…I'll teach that sniveling Weasley mess to steal my woman! He won't know what hit him!"


	39. Another Big Mistake

"Alright, everyone," Mr. Weasley boomed to get the attention of his large family and four guests. "Do you all have your lists?"

"Yes!" everyone chorused together, waving scraps of paper in their hands.

"Then go to it!"

Ginny stuck close to her mother as they walked off to buy some needed equipment for potions. Fred and George immediately went to the joke shop, Whimsy on their tails in an attempt to get them to focus and perhaps enter a bookshop on their way. Percy strode solemnly off on his own, his head held high in pride of being the eldest Weasley boy present.

"There's a book I need for Advanced Charms," Allegra said, checking her list. "Does anyone want to come to Flourish and Blotts with me?"

"I'll go," Hermione volunteered immediately. "I have a few books I want to pick up for some light reading on the train."

"You would," Ron grimaced. "Well, I guess I'll go too. But I want to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies afterwards."

"Yeah," Harry agreed quickly. "I need to get some stuff for this year's season."

"Sounds like a plan," Allegra grinned, looping her arm through Harry's and grinning at him. "Let's go!"

The quartet ventured off into the crowd of students in the direction of the bookshop. When they reached it, Hermione pulled Ron inside in case he changed his mind on the way. Ron groaned and rolled his eyes at his friend's enthusiasm, but obeyed her stiff tugs on his arm. This left Harry and Allegra outside just as a large group of parents, leading their first years around, crowded the entrance.

"Eager, aren't they?" Allegra laughed, her arm still around Harry's. She imitated a carnival barker, puffing out her chest and deepening her voice. "Step right up! Step right up! No need to push. No need to shove. Room enough for all of you!"

Harry chuckled, shuffling his feet slightly to keep them warm in the delicate layer of snow on the ground.

"Do you know which classes you're taking this year?" he asked.

"Well, I know I'm in Year Five Advanced Charms," Allegra shrugged. "Oh, and I'm taking Divination again too. Professor Trelawney and I hit it off quite well." A look of panic washed over her face. "Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"I left my dream journal at home! I must go back and get it…But do I have enough time?" Allegra grimaced, wringing her hands.

"Don't worry," Harry assured her, looking over at the mob of book buyers. "Once this crowd goes away, we can get your book, find Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and you can use their Floo Powder to go home and grab it. You have fireplaces in your house, right?"

"Only about six or seven," Allegra shrugged.

Harry stared at her for a second before shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Lucius Malfoy had left his son outside of Gringotts with strict instructions not to move until he had returned. But Draco was beginning to get restless, desiring nothing else but to seek out his girlfriend in the crowd and give Ron Weasley a piece of his mind. He began shuffling his feet impatiently, scanning the throng with his ice-cold eyes for a familiar flash of blonde or an infuriating eyeful of red.

A few witches were giggling just beyond the entrance to Flourish and Blotts over a poster in the window.

"Some wizard all the girls are going mad for, I suppose," Draco mumbled to himself. He stared at them intensely, trying to move them with his mind. He smirked as they caught sight of him and slunk off awkwardly. But, the smirk was not long lived. "WHAT?" he screamed. He was immediately uprooted from his appointed spot and he stormed to the entrance of the bookshop.

"Draco!" Allegra shrieked with delight, holding her arms out to embrace him. "Darling!"

"_Potter_?" Draco shouted in disbelief. "_Weasley_ is bad enough, but…_POTTER_?"

"What are you talking about, Draco?" Allegra asked, dropping Harry's arm and running to her boyfriend, leaning on his shoulder in an attempt to placate him.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped at her. "How could you? How could you cheat on me with _POTTER_?"

"Cheat on you?" Allegra gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Malfoy, listen, I wasn't…" Harry started.

"Stuff it, Potter," Draco yelled. "I should've known that you would be jealous of what I have and go after it! 'Oh! Look at me! I'm the famous Harry Potter! My parents are dead! I'm _so_ jealous of Draco Malfoy for having rich parents and a smashing girlfriend! I think I'll spend my summer chatting her up!'"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry exploded, taking a step forward to be stopped by Allegra's hand on his stomach.

"Draco, darling, listen to me. You're making a fool…" Allegra started as she reached to touch Draco's face with her free hand.

"_I__'__m_ making a _fool_ of myself?" Draco shouted, pulling violently away from her. "_You__'__re_ the one who cheated in _broad __daylight_!"

"I'm not cheating on you, Draco!" Allegra suddenly screeched, her face growing red as a tomato. "Maybe if you'd shut up and let someone finish a damn sentence, I could explain to you! Harry is just my friend, okay? Now calm down!"

"_Friends_? Friends with _Potter_?" Draco spat. "Right! Potter isn't friends with Slytherins, are you, Potter?"

Harry's face was growing stiff and his fists were beginning to clench. He was about to let go and give Draco a good sock in the face, but Allegra beat him to it.

"How dare you accuse me of cheating on you?" she screamed as Draco tumbled to the ground, feeling his nose and praying that it wasn't broken or bleeding. Allegra turned on her heels and stalked away, leaving Draco in the snow, staring up into Harry's face.

"Good going, Malfoy," Harry said simply before turning and running after her.

"Oh…shit…" Draco whispered, clutching his nose.


	40. A Death in the Family

A loud crack sounded as Allegra bit back furious tears and held her wand aloft. She could hear Harry calling her name just as the spell constricted around her, forcing her body through space. When she could see again, she was on the front lawn of Yollesgrave Manor. The curtains were all drawn throughout the house and it appeared that no one was home.

So, Allegra ran around the side of the house, spotting the shed where her darling pet lived. As she flew to the door, her ribbon fell out of her hair and fluttered to the muddy ground, allowing her hair to fall around her shoulders in an unusual way.

Allegra opened the door to see Mr. Cuddles sleeping on the floor.

"Don't worry, my darling! Mummy is home! And she shan't leave you ever again! I want nothing to do with that horrible place anymore!" she called to him, flinging herself on the floor next to his great snout.

But Allegra was slightly shocked to see that her dramatic promise gained no response from the serpent. She leaned down and felt the place between his nostrils, which was cold as always. But even her gentle touch failed to illicit a reaction from her beloved pet.

"You're not sick, are you, my darling?" she asked, walking around his large head to feel behind his ear slits. "You don't have a fever. Perhaps you're just overly exerted from your mealtime. Perhaps one of the servants fed you too much, hm? They do that sometimes."

Still, Mr. Cuddles didn't move. Allegra smirked and placed her hand on one of the snake's eye-patches.

"Would you like me to massage your eyebrow line? I know you love that when you're feeling a bit bloated." The basilisk didn't move. "Poor darling. You're too tired to even give me a yes. There we are. Now I'll just move the eye-patch. Careful. I don't want the light hurting your eye."

She slowly pulled the cord of the patch, allowing the pad to fall to the floor with a gentle thud. This revealed Mr. Cuddles' blind eyes. Yet, there was something cloudy about them. Something…dead about them.

"M-Mr. Cuddles?" Allegra stammered, touching the eyebrow line of her pet. But the serpent didn't even flinch at the contact. "No…No! OH, PLEASE, NO!"

The blonde stumbled back against the wall, clutching at her chest as she was sure that her heart was breaking. She screamed and cried and kicked at the floor, covering her face as a new wave of tears came flooding out of her eyes.

The door banged open to reveal Olave Yollesgrave, his white-blonde hair slightly mussed as if he had just woken up in his study from a long night of research. His bathrobe was messily tied around his waist and his eyes grew wide at the sight of his daughter, hunched at the side of the deceased basilisk on the floor.

"Allegra…What…What are you doing here?" he asked, scratching his head.

Allegra looked up for a moment. Her eyes glazed over in anger and she lashed out, throwing her fists at her father and kicking at his shins.

"You didn't look after him! You let him die! This is your fault! I hate you! I hate you!"

Olave grabbed her wrists and moved swiftly out of the way of her feet.

"Calm yourself, Allegra," he said softly. "You must try to quiet your mind."

"How can I quiet my mind when my first friend just died? What were you going to do when you found him? You wouldn't bury his body! You never liked him! You always made me look after him!"

"Weren't you happy looking after him?" Olave asked.

Allegra's angry tears melted into sad ones and she threw her arms around her father's waist.

"Yes…What am I going to do without him? Daddy, Draco thinks I'm cheating on him…He confronted me in Diagon Alley…And now this? Daddy…why couldn't it have been me?" She sunk to the floor and wept into her hands.

Olave studied his daughter for a few moments before kneeling down as well and pulling his child into his arms. He stroked her loose blonde hair and kissed the top of her head a few times before looking into her tearstained face.

"Come," he whispered, taking Allegra's hand and standing her up. He led her to the doorway. "Let's give your pet a proper interment."

Allegra pulled away from her father, running back to the remains of her beloved pet and throwing her arms around his snout for the last time. She slowly picked up the eye-patches and wound them around her wrist as she walked back to Olave and slipped her hand into his.

The man closed the door behind them, pulling his wand out of his bathrobe pocket and aiming it at the shed. He murmured an incantation and the ground shook. The earth opened up beneath the shed, allowing it to lower gently into a neat grave.

"Bless him," Olave sighed. "Mr. Cuddles was the best thing that ever came into my daughter's life. And since seeing my dear Allegra's eyes shine so happily despite her anger or sadness with the world meant so much to me, that serpent was the best thing that ever came into my life as well. May he rest in peace."

Allegra watched as the crack in the ground sealed up, taking her pet with it forevermore. She glanced down at the eye-patches wound around her arm and then up at her father.

"Daddy," she whispered. "I don't…want to go to school…quite yet."

Olave pulled his daughter to him and held her for a while before kissing her head and allowing her a few days more to recover. He promised he would write to the headmaster and inform him of the family's loss.

Allegra thanked him before dragging her feet up the stairs to her bedroom and slowly closing the door.


	41. Crushed

"Has she transferred?" Draco pondered out loud as he sat on the couch in the Common Room, his face buried in his hands. "Was I really that horrid to her?"

"What was that, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asked as she swooped in next to him. "I haven't seen Yollesgrave around school. Have you two broken up?"

"No, you twit!" Draco snapped, glaring at the intruder. "Get out of my sight!"

Pansy sniffled before running off. Draco returned to his previous position.

"It's been a week since the term started. I'll kill myself if I've ruined my chance with her…What am I saying? I'm Draco Malfoy! I don't need any girl…Who am I kidding? I need her like I need air. Without her…"

The door swung open, interrupting his monologue. Draco's head shot up and he beheld a strange sight entering the Common Room. It was Allegra, but she looked very strange.

The first thing that Draco noticed was that her hair was down. Not only was it down, but it was straight as a pin. It didn't frizz out like it had always done when she was wearing a side-ponytail. The second thing that he noticed was that she was wearing an unusual amount of black. Her school robes were fastened up by her chin, allowing a peek of green at the top of her tie to show. Besides that and the badge on her chest, there was no color on her body at all. And finally, Draco noticed that the locket which had brought him to her was missing from around her neck and instead, green and silver eye-patches were tied around her wrists like fingerless gloves.

"A-Allegra?" Draco stammered, getting to his feet clumsily. "What happened to you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said softly. Her voice was like a silver bell. There was nothing overly chipper about it, but there was nothing dark about it either. "I just had a little bit of sadness come my way towards the end of the summer."

"Is that why you haven't been in school?" Draco asked. He shuffled his feet and looked down embarrassedly. "I…I missed you…you know…"

Allegra didn't respond to this, but looked down at her hands and adjusted the eye-patches so they were straight.

"Did you…miss me?" Draco mumbled.

"Not particularly," Allegra responded. "I think I'll go up to the dormitory now, if you'll excuse me." She pushed past him and walked up the staircase, disappearing from his field of vision.

Draco's legs took control and shot forward to follow her, but as he set foot upon the stairs, they angled into a slope and he went tumbling onto the floor. He stared up at the dormitory door as it closed.

"Allegra!" he shouted as his voice cracked. "Don't shut me out! Please! I need you! I love you!"

His words reverberated off the walls. Whether they reached Draco's intended audience, we'll never know, for the door remained latched and there were no voices from the room beyond.

"Well…that's that, I suppose," Draco choked, turning stiffly on his heels and wandering aimlessly out the door of the Common Room.


	42. More Changes

"Fluxweed is a member of the mustard family known for its healing properties. If picked by the light of a full moon, sixteen scruples can be used to make a Polyjuice Potion."

"Very good, Miss Yollesgrave," Professor Snape said, his eyebrows rising on his forehead slightly. He'd never heard Allegra Yollesgrave give a correct answer to an oral quiz in his class before. "Five points to Slytherin. Mr. Potter, what common ingredient in several potions produces a slime which gives a person the ability to float?"

"I…don't know, sir," Harry replied sheepishly.

There was silence for a moment as Snape disdainfully glared at Hogwarts' most famous student.

"Pity," he snarled. "Does _anyone_ know?" A hand shot up in the darkened classroom. "_Besides_ Miss Granger?" The hand went back down. Another hand wrapped in green and silver padding rose smoothly, almost elegantly, from the throng of heads bent over textbooks and cauldrons. "Yes, Miss Yollesgrave?"

"That would be the Billywig Sting, sir."

"Correct. Another five points to Slytherin," Snape smirked, taking a mental note of Yollesgrave's sudden prowess in his subject. Perhaps she was Advanced Potions material. "Mr. Malfoy."

The blonde headed boy jerked at the sound of his name and ended up hitting his head on the support beam above his desk. As the pain sunk into his skull, he rubbed his cranium with his hand and bit his lower lip in embarrassment.

"Yes, sir?"

"If you were going into a forest from which you had heard howling at nights, which of these ingredients might you take along with you: Wolfsbane, Aconite, or Monkshood?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow at the usually attentive pupil.

"I…erm…W-Wolfsbane?"

"Professor, if I may?" Allegra Yollesgrave groaned, her hand rising once again. Snape nodded to her in permission. "You would take all three as they all have the same effect. They all ward off werewolves."

"Thank you, Miss Yollesgrave. That is all for today. You are dismissed."

Allegra scooped up her books and clutched them to her chest as she stalked out of the room.

"Hey, Allegra, wait up!" Harry called after her. Hermione and Ron followed close behind. "That was brilliant. When did you get so good at potions?"

"It's amazing how much you can learn in a few weeks when you don't have distractions," Allegra shrugged.

"Wish you were in Gryffindor," Ron chuckled. "Then the professors wouldn't get so irate with Hermione for knowing every single answer ever."

"Well, pardon me for liking to study," Hermione snorted. "But I must admit, you've gotten much better since last year."

"Thanks, everyone," Allegra sighed. "But I should get going. Whimsy and I are meeting for a study session later and I need to prepare. I've got to keep my focus. Can't stop thinking about school. No time for conversation. I'll see you later."

And off she went. Harry, Hermione, and Ron stared after her in amazement.

"She's changed," Ron finally said.

Harry and Hermione gave him a look, rolling their eyes and hauling him off to their next class.


	43. Because You're Bipolar

The library was nearly empty right after dinner that evening. Whimsy poked her head around a bookshelf to see a girl in Slytherin robes hunched over a table, pouring over a Herbology textbook.

"Allegra, dear, you're early," the Ravenclaw chuckled as she wandered over and scooted into a chair. She reached into her book bag and pulled out the scroll of parchment which she was intending to use for her History of Magic essay.

"Am I?" Allegra didn't take her eyes off the page she was reading in much detail.

"You're studying Herbology? I thought plants bored you," Whimsy said in confusion.

"Well, you never know when something like that will come in handy," Allegra replied, turning the page and beginning to twist a lock of her hair around her index finger. "Even grass from a lawn could have some use in a charm or a potion. You never know."

Whimsy grimaced. She was never one for Herbology and found it, not only boring, but also dirty work which got her spotless robes mussed.

"So what do you need to work on, Whimsy?" Allegra asked, closing the book and adjusting her glasses on her turned-up nose. "I personally brought my Potions workbook and my Divination extra credit."

"Trelawney gives extra credit?"

"Not really, but I figured I'd get ahead on the final exam," Allegra shrugged.

Whimsy gave her a strange look and cautiously pulled out a quill, ink, and the assignment Professor Bins had given to her. She started scribbling on the parchment, listening to Allegra shift back and forth in her chair.

"Allegra, you're acting rather strange," she finally pointed out, putting her work down and folding her arms. "Is there something wrong?"

"…No. Of course not…"

"Dear, you've been my best friend ever since we were second years together. I can tell when something's wrong."

Allegra's lower lip began to quiver and her eyes filled with tears. She stood from her chair and hurried around to fling herself into her best friend's arms.

"Oh, Whimsy," she sniffled. "Mr. Cuddles…he's passed away…"

Whimsy's mouth fell open and her hand began stroking Allegra's hair.

"I've tried to not think about it. But I can't. And I don't even have Draco to comfort me anymore. Whimsy, I'm a complete wreck. What am I going to do?" Allegra sobbed.

Whimsy reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, wiping the tears off her best friend's face.

"I'm so sorry, Allegra, dear," she whispered. "I didn't know." She hugged her friend closer. "But, I must say. You're taking this rather well considering…" She quickly clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

"Considering what?" Allegra asked, pulling away from her friend. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't say," Whimsy moaned.

"You can tell me anything…"

"No! Your parents would kill me if I told you!" Again, Whimsy covered her mouth and gasped, squealing.

"What about my parents? Are they…pregnant?"

"No, silly," Whimsy blurted out. "They told me about your condition."

"Condition? What's wrong with me?"

"I…I can't," Whimsy sniffed. "I've said too much already. Ooh I'm such a dunce!" She whacked herself in the face with a book. "I'm a horrible Ravenclaw."

"Don't be ridiculous," Allegra snorted. "You're the ideal Ravenclaw. We've talked about this before. Remember? You're a true Ravenclaw and I'm a true Hufflepuff." She scooped up Whimsy's quill and held it aloft. "FIND!"

Whimsy looked at her, but didn't even crack a smile.

"Allegra, I can't keep this from you. But I can't tell you either. I made a solemn promise. And I have a moral code to look after."

"I promise that I'll take whatever news you give me with the best attitude possible."

"No you won't," Whimsy moaned.

"Why not?" Allegra grimaced.

"Because you're bipolar!"


	44. The Truth of a Lifetime

Allegra stared at her friend for a second, biting her lower lip. Finally, she couldn't hold it any longer and burst out laughing. She clutched at her stomach and fell to the floor. After being shushed for the third time by the librarian, Allegra stood shakily to her feet and used the baggy sleeves of her school robes to wipe the tears out of her eyes.

"Oh, Whimsy," she snorted, attempting to catch her breath. "You are really hysterical. Me? Bipolar? Genius."

Whimsy's mouth dropped open. She hadn't thought that Allegra would take this as a joke. Whimsy's better sense of judgment which had placed her in Ravenclaw abandoned her for a moment out of the shock and slight anger she felt at being mocked this way.

"Allegra, I'm telling you the truth. I have your father's letter if you don't believe me."

"Sure, sure," Allegra tittered. "My father, Ice King second only to Lucius Malfoy, sent you a letter explaining how I'm bipolar. Where do you get this material, Whimsy? Are you sure you want to be a broom gymnast professionally? Because you would be so great as a comedian!"

"I'm dead serious, Allegra!" Whimsy shouted. The librarian gave her a dirty glare. "Meet me after breakfast tomorrow," she sighed agitatedly. "I'll bring the letter with me. You can see for yourself." She gathered up her books and stalked out of the library angrily.

Allegra rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat, pulling her Potions text book out of her book bag and cracking it open to a section on Goosegrass.


	45. Don't Wanna Hear It

Later that evening, Allegra slipped into the Slytherin Common Room to find a fire still lit in the grate even though it was past ten o'clock at night and everyone ought to have been in bed. She went over to the couches surrounding the fireplace to make sure everything was all right.

What she found was Draco Malfoy lying face down on the cushions, his hair ruffled and his robes tossed over the back of the sofa, revealing his argyle vest and long-sleeved uniform shirt.

"Are you okay?"

The voice disturbed Draco and he jumped, craning his neck around to identify the intruder. When he saw that it was Allegra, it made him even more startled and he rolled off the couch, thudding on the floor.

"I repeat," Allegra snorted, "are you okay?" She offered her hand to help him up, but he refused, choosing to scramble to his feet on his own.

"Fine, fine," he muttered. "I was just thinking. What time is it?"

"Nearly half-ten," Allegra shrugged. "You ought to go to sleep. We have a big Potions test tomorrow."

"H-Half-ten?" Draco stammered, rubbing his eyes. How long had he been passed out on that couch? He'd come in after dinner, shooed Pansy Parkinson away, and…he couldn't remember anything after that. Then, something struck him. "Hey, when did you start caring about Potions? I remember when you blew up the classroom all the time." He stepped towards her. "When did you get good at it?"

"When I started studying, I guess," Allegra shrugged. "But, honestly, it started taking shape after…" She bit her lip. "Nevermind."

"No," Draco said firmly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away. "Talk to me, Allegra. Please don't shut me out." His voice got softer and he touched her shoulder again. And again, she pulled away.

"I don't want to talk to you, Malfoy," she growled as tears started welling up in her eyes. "You don't trust me. So why should I trust you?"

Draco sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"I honestly can't think of a reason why you should," he shrugged.

"Good. Because I'm not going to," Allegra suddenly snapped. "Goodnight, Malfoy." She stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to the girls' dormitories closed.

Draco sunk back onto the couch and buried his face in his hands.


	46. Flashback

Allegra sat on her bed, burying her face in the pillows and letting out an exhausted sigh. The silence resonated in the room and as it reverberated off the stone dungeon walls, it made her stomach twist agonizingly. She flipped over on her back and bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she missed Draco. After all, she had devoted two years of her life to the boy. And as she gazed into the darkness of her eyelids, she could picture a platinum-blonde head and cold gray eyes framing a sharp face with even sharper features. And while most people would find such a vision a little bit uninviting, Allegra thought it was the warmest and most appealing sight she had ever seen.

The backs of her eyes were burning and she opened her eyelids to see the forest green curtains gathered around her bed. As she was looking at posts down by her feet, her vision blurred and a warm drip pooled on her cheek.

Allegra reached up and brushed her palm across her face, scooping her glasses off the bridge of her nose. But the feeling of the soft eye-patch wound around her arm tore into her heart and made her cry harder. She whimpered and turned back over into her pillow, sinking her teeth into the downy surface in an attempt to keep her sniffles muffled. Images of Mr. Cuddles were flying through her head.

_"Daddy! Daddy! Look! Isn't the snakey so cute?"_

_"Of course, Allegra."_

_"Daddy, may I have him? Please? I'll take care of him and feed him and wash him and play with him and exercise him and everything! Please, Daddy?"_

_The three-foot snakeling lifted its poor, weak oversized head despite the lack of support from its neck and body. Its miniature, pink forked tongue flicked out and touched Allegra's hand. She giggled and allowed it to slither up her arm._

_"Yessir, it's blind," the shopkeeper wheezed from the darkness. Allegra had never seen a face besides her mother's or father's when they went shopping in Nocturne Alley._

_"Olave, what about its venom?" Allegra's mother asked cautiously._

_"Oh don't you be worryin' about that, ma'am," the shopkeeper cackled. "Little thing was born wi'out venom. Bites won't hurt neither. Teeth like pebbles."_

_"Daddy, look!" the young Allegra squealed as the baby snake coiled around her upper arm, resting its head on her shoulder and gazing around with its milky eyes, seeing nothing but feeling the warm love radiating from the four-year-old girl's body. "Please, Daddy, may I have him?"_

_Olave gazed at his daughter, smiling wryly and patting her head._

_"Of course you may, Allegra."_

Allegra bit her lip and tossed onto her side, wriggling under the comforter of her bed, still in her clothes. Tears stained her face as she placed her glasses on the bedside table and snuggled deeper in the blankets. Eventually, with the images of her two loves still floating through her head, she wept herself into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	47. Concealing the Truth

The next morning, Whimsy waited outside the Great Hall for Allegra to arrive. She tapped her foot anxiously. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. The letter from Mr. Yollesgrave grew slightly moist in her sweaty palms.

"Allegra can't know," she said decidedly. "I was stupid for telling her." Whimsy slipped the letter into her Astronomy textbook just as Allegra walked up.

"Good morning, Whimsy," Allegra winked. "Do you have that letter from my father?" The blonde sniggered, but tried to retain her composure.

"Allegra, I lied," Whimsy chuckled awkwardly. "I was just joking around…like you said. There was no letter from your father."

"I thought so," Allegra grinned before poking her friend in the arm teasingly and walking over to her table.


	48. Malfoy Finds Out

The Great Hall was filled with delicious smells as plates full of hot food appeared for breakfast. Allegra, who had already come downstairs, hair perfectly brushed and robes ironed and picked clean of bed lint, was sitting at the Slytherin table, a book perched on the table and her knees as she picked at her food. Her book bag was by her feet in the event that she needed to change reads during breakfast.

Draco strode up to her with his usual cold style. He had to keep up appearances after his little episode in the Common Room last night. But when he neared Allegra, he stooped down and muttered in her ear nonchalantly.

"This seat taken?"

The girl didn't say anything or even take her eyes off the book, but proceeded to pull her bag from by her feet and plop it in the seat Draco was indicating.

"Well, fine then, if you're going to be in a mood," Draco scoffed, stalking away and plopping down next to Crabbe and Goyle.

...

After the test in Potions that afternoon, Draco caught up to Allegra as they were ascending the stairs out of the dungeon.

"How do you think you did? I had no clue what question ten was about."

"I found the test easy. A simpleton could have known that the answer to question ten was Armadillo bile," Allegra sniggered before flipping her hair in his face and flouncing up the stairs.

Draco gritted his teeth, but stayed behind to "chat" with Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode, both of which looked as if they would explode from the attention.

...

As he soared over the crowd, Draco scanned the area for both the Snitch and Allegra's head in the stands. Was it just him or was he having a really hard time finding the color gold?

_Come on…Where is she? She's always at these matches…_

A Bludger whizzed by him, nearly knocking him off his broom, causing the crowd to, at first, gasp and then laugh at his bewildered face. He gripped the handle of his broom and zoomed off to lower ground to see if the Snitch had dodged under the stands, as it often did. After searching the perimeter of the field and not seeing a glint of gold, he paused, hovering beside a support beam.

"This is mad! What do I have to do to have her get over it? It was an innocent mistake, wasn't it? Where's that girl who welcomed me back with open arms when I yelled at her in public last time?"

"MALFOY!" a boy's voice shouted from the field. "Cho Chang has eyes on the Snitch! Get up here!"

Quickly, he darted back onto the playing field. He spotted the raven-haired girl zooming around, her arm outstretched. He kicked his broom into high gear, shooting after her. But just as he was about to overtake her, Cho Chang's fingers brushed the Snitch and brought it into her hand.

"_Cho Chang has captured the Golden Snitch! Ravenclaw WINS!_"

"Damn it!" Draco cursed as he landed back on the ground. The captain of the Slytherin team approached him furiously.

"What the hell was that?" he yelled. "You've been acting pretty mad lately! Shape up or you're off the team, Malfoy! And no amount of your precious father's money will get you back on!" The captain shoved Draco with his pointer finger before swiftly turning on his heels and stomping off.

_Still no sign of Allegra…_

...

Whimsy was sitting on a bench in the courtyard, her notebook open and her quill in hand. Today was a Sunday and she could think of nothing more pleasurable and lovely to do than brainstorm new moves for her latest broom routine. A soft smile played on her face as she recalled that Fred and George were taking her on a special ride after lunch, which was soon.

_Thank goodness I didn't bring that letter to Allegra after all. That might have been a terrible mistake and I might have been stuck picking up the mess instead of having this lovely afternoon._

She was just enraptured by a move so tricky it would take months to perfect when a pair of men's shoes appeared on the ground before her. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy, an odd sight. But he looked quite clean, his hair perfectly in place and his clothes neatly pressed. He'd obviously made an effort.

"How can I help you, Mr. Malfoy?" Whimsy asked, adjusting her glasses and tucking a bit of her red hair behind her ear.

"What is wrong with Allegra?" he asked calmly.

Whimsy looked at him for a moment, not saying anything. She was rather shocked that he had been so blunt with her instead of using his cunning ways to trick an answer out of her.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me…I mean…" he cleared his throat, "Would you kindly inform me what is wrong with Allegra? She has been acting odd ever since she came back from summer vacation and…" He sighed and plopped down on the bench beside her. "I can't do this. Whimsy…Can I call you Whimsy?" Shocked, Whimsy nodded. "Whimsy, I know we've had our differences in the past and I haven't always been nice to you. But…this is really important to me. I love Allegra. I love her so much. And…I want to know where she's gone. I mean, it's obvious, she's at school with the rest of us. But she's distanced herself so much and it hurts me to have her…well…reject me like she's been doing."

A smirk found its way onto Whimsy's face. Allegra had been rejecting Draco? How delightful!

"I know what you're thinking," Draco grimaced. "Just…Can I at least know what's wrong? I'll leave her alone if I've done something that I can't apologize for. I'll never speak to her again."

Whimsy laughed and tucked her quill into her hair, closing her book and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, you were pretty horrid to her just before school started. But that's not the reason she's changed so much. You flatter yourself thinking that you're the reason she's so serious now. She's grown up, Malfoy. And it wouldn't surprise me if she's outgrown you."

Oh this was fun, watching Draco Malfoy squirm like this! It was nearly as satisfying as when she had punched him in the face last year. But then…something changed.

Draco's eyes were glossy, as if they were wetter than usual. He didn't cry, but it looked like he was going to. Whimsy could tell that he was holding it back because he didn't want to be ridiculed. Her smirk faded and she reached out, touching him on the shoulder, as that was as much contact with the Slytherin that she desired.

"You really want to know what's changed her?"

Draco nodded.

"More than anything in the world, Whimsy."

Whimsy sighed and looked directly into his face.

"Mr. Cuddles passed away just before school started. You know how attached she was to that snake. She's been trying to take her mind off him ever since."

Draco's facial expression changed to a stony realization.

"That's why she stopped wearing the locket…"

"Indeed. It's probably in a box somewhere in her house, hidden away so she doesn't have to look at it any more. She said she had to put his pictures away as well. It was just too painful for her."

"The…The poor thing," Draco stammered. "And I…I've been throwing myself at her." He stood from the bench. "Thank you, Whimsy…You've been a great help."

And then he walked away, leaving Whimsy feeling oddly lifted and serene for having told Allegra's sufferings to her ex boyfriend.


	49. Allegra's Discovery

Whimsy scratched her quill on the parchment she was using for her Astronomy notes. Allegra (who had joined the class because a spot opened up for her) read over her notes avidly and attempted to understand the concepts of constellations and their meanings.

"How do you understand all this?" she sighed.

"Oh it's easy once you get the hang of it," Whimsy chuckled. "It took me a while to understand it too, and I'm a Ravenclaw."

Allegra laughed and looked over to see what Whimsy was writing.

"Can I use those?"

"These aren't particularly good, I'm afraid," Whimsy grimaced, glancing at the earlier scribbles. "I'll have to rewrite them before anyone can understand them. But I have some other notes you can look at." She opened her textbook just as two pairs of hands came out of nowhere and covered her eyes, making her squeak.

"Hey, Legzie," Fred winked as he lifted his shared girlfriend out of her chair.

"But do you mind if we steal Whimsy for a bit?" George asked, appearing from behind Whimsy's chair. "It's very important."

Allegra looked at them, a smirk finding its way onto her face.

"Well, okay, but I do need her back tomorrow. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, you frivolous youngsters."

"Don't worry!" George grinned.

"We will," Fred added with a lecherous eyebrow wiggle.

As the twins dragged Whimsy away, she called out to her friend.

"My notes are in my textbook! Just flip through! You should be able to find them!"

Allegra laughed and grabbed the textbook, waving goodbye to her friends before cracking it open and beginning to thumb through the pages. It wasn't long before she found a folded-up piece of parchment that looked as though it had been well-worn and read many times.

"This must be it," she chortled to herself. She unfolded the parchment to find that it was a two-page letter. "Odd. This looks like Daddy's handwriting." She began to read.

_Miss Janviér,_

_ I must first inform you that what is in this letter is to remain of the strictest confidence. I am only sharing it with you because I find you trustworthy of our family's secret. Secondly, I must ask you that you do not tell my wife that you know of Allegra's condition. She is not aware that I am telling you and will most likely disapprove of your knowledge in this matter, despite my feelings on the subject. And lastly, I must ask you never to tell Allegra. She knows nothing of this and it is her parents' decision to let it remain that way._

_ Allegra is what Muggles call "bipolar." This means that she tends to violently change moods. This makes being around her in a dramatic situation very trying. In some cases, it has even been dangerous to those around our daughter. We have attempted to remedy the situation by creating as little friction as possible in her growing up._

Allegra stared at that last paragraph for quite some time, her mouth gaping open slightly. When she was finally able to speak, she held her hand to her mouth.

"What?" she whispered. "It…It's true? I…Daddy? Daddy never told me about this." She read the letter again, tears coming to her eyes. She sank deeper into her chair.


	50. Forgiveness

The earth began to frost over and the air grew colder as winter crept up upon Hogwarts and its inhabitants. It wasn't long before the twentieth of December-the beginning of winter recess-rose with the sun.

"You won't miss me too terribly, will you?" Whimsy asked as she lugged her trunk towards the carriages on the front lawn of the castle.

"Of course I will," Allegra smiled reluctantly. "But I'll do my best to write you every day."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The friends hugged and Whimsy's eyes brimmed with tears. This was going to be the first time since she had met Allegra that she wasn't going to visit Yollesgrave Manor at some point during the Christmas vacation.

When the friends parted, Whimsy grabbed both Weasley twins and planted kisses on both their cheeks. They chuckled and kissed her on the lips, one at a time, of course, and told her that they would write to her as well, even if it was all the way in France while she visited her older relatives. Fred and George then gave Allegra hugs.

"Smile, Legzie," Fred grinned.

"You look much prettier when you do," George winked, nudging her with his elbow before gently tugging her hair teasingly and dashing off to the carriage with his twin.

Whimsy sighed and shook her head at the antics of her boyfriends before turning and giving Allegra another hug.

"Try not to work yourself to death, dear," she smiled.

"Okay," Allegra nodded, smirking. "It'll be a bit of a change not going home for Christmas. But, well, you know why I can't."

Whimsy patted her friend's shoulder before pulling Allegra into one last hug. As she backed towards the carriages, Allegra could see sparkly tears gathering in the corner of Whimsy's eyes.

"Go on," Allegra laughed. "You'll miss them!" She waved at the carriages as they rolled out of sight. Then, with a soft smile on her face, she turned around in the light blanket of snow and trekked back to the warmth of the school.

As soon as she entered the doors, her sense of smell was assaulted by the sweet scent of desserts coming from the Great Hall. For the students remaining at Hogwarts over the holidays, the tables would always be loaded with Christmas treats. She nearly floated on her tip-toes to the entrance of the Great Hall and peeked in to find it nearly empty except for a few students scattered around their House tables.

Suddenly, there was a splat. Allegra's head turned to the source of the sound as she watched a blonde head whip under the Slytherin table.

"Bloody cake!" a familiar voice cussed. There was a thud as the back of his head slammed against the table on its way back up. "YAH!" Draco slipped out from under the table and rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

Allegra looked down at the boy and maybe it was the warmth of Christmas cheer or maybe it was simply seeing him so helpless, but her heart melted a little and she leaned down to his level, helping him scoop the cake back onto his plate.

"Are you okay?"

Draco slowly turned his head to look at her. When his gray eyes met her brown ones, they widened.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I'm good…It's just…I dropped my…cake…"

Allegra shrugged and put the plate with the dusty cake on the table.

"Clumsiness isn't a sin, Malfoy. Nothing wrong with stumbling every once in a while."

Draco's eyes lit up, thinking that she was going to forgive him. But she didn't. The melting that had occurred in her heart a moment ago had frozen again. Allegra grabbed a Pumpkin Tart and took a bite out of it as she walked out of the Great Hall.

But Draco wasn't giving up this time. He chased after her and grabbed her upper arm.

"Wait!"

Allegra turned around, taking another bite out of her tart placidly.

"Stay here for a second, okay?"

"Sure," Allegra sighed, popping her hip to one side impatiently. "But I have some Charms homework to do. I can't fall behind on that. Year Five Advanced Charms is quite rigorous, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right back," Draco snorted, rushing back down to the Slytherin Common Room. He prayed that Allegra would stay there until he returned. This was important.

He had spent at least a month attempting to contact Olave and Marina Yollesgrave. Then, just a week ago, they had responded. As fast as he could, Draco ran out and found was he was looking for. When he had gathered what he needed, he returned to where he had left Allegra, panting. He thanked his lucky stars that she was still there.

"Allegra," he said, gasping for air. "I know that you lost someone very important to you this fall. I'm so sorry. I know how much he meant to you. And I know that I haven't been understanding or helpful or…anything really. But, I hope in my heart that you will accept this as my apology for hurting you so much." He reached into his robe pocket and retrieved a small white box. "I thought maybe you could do with a new memory to go with this," Draco smiled, placing the package in Allegra's hand.

Slowly, she removed the lid to see a silver locket with a red stone in the middle. She held her fingertips to her mouth as she reached into the box and laced the chain around her fingers.

"Where did you find this?" she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I wrote your parents and asked after it," Draco replied. "It took a little convincing, but I eventually got them to send it to me."

Allegra cracked open the locket and gazed at the picture of Mr. Cuddles as he hissed in excitement at seeing his favorite human. She smiled in happy recollection. This wasn't as painful as she thought it was going to be. It was actually rather nice, remembering the special times she'd had with her pet. Even though he died young, he had lived a good life. Her eyes then wandered over to the picture of Draco, winking and throwing kisses at her. She laughed and looked up, her vision blurred through the tears.

"Thank you," she murmured.

Draco took the locket from her hands and turned her around, whisking the adornment around her neck and clasping it, being careful to move her hair out of the way. He spun her back towards him.

"I made a big mistake," he said slowly. "I should never have accused you of cheating on me. I was paranoid and…I was jealous of seeing you with Potter. Please. Please forgive me. I love you too much to let you go."

Allegra's bottom lip began to tremble. Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lower lip and turned away, beginning to cry.

"Allegra, what's wrong?" Draco asked, panicked. "Are you okay? Was it something I said? I'm sorry!"

"N-No," Allegra sniffed. "It's not you. I…I just found out something about me that…that I'm not quite sure how to deal with yet."

Draco looked at her. He slowly took her by the shoulders and stared into her face with as much sincerity as he could possibly muster coming from his eyes.

"Tell me."

Allegra returned the look, but as she gazed into Draco's gray eyes, she whimpered and rested her head on his chest.

"I can't…"

"Yes, you can. I love you. And no matter what you say, I will continue to love you. Come on, Allegra. What's wrong?"

"I'm mentally ill…"

Draco looked at her strangely, his eyebrows cocked.

"Erm…What?"

"I'm bipolar!"

"…What's bipolar?"

"I change emotions dramatically! My parents were keeping it from me this whole time! I've been unstable since I was a child and they've never told me! I'm dangerous, Draco! I can't be around people! I'll become a psychopath and kill everyone and…"

Draco cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. When they broke apart, Allegra looked up into his face like a scared rabbit.

"That's not going to happen, love," he winked. "Don't worry. I'll be here to keep you in check. As long as you want me."

A smile slowly spread on Allegra's face as she threw her arms around him and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you, Allegra," Draco repeated when they parted.

"I love you too, Draco," Allegra sighed contentedly.


	51. The Final Chapter is a New Beginning

Everyone had been looking forward to the school trip to Hogsmeade as they did every year. Students strutted in and out of shops and eateries, their heads held high in pride that all it had taken to get them to this wonderful place was a simple signature from a parent.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron had joined up with Whimsy and the twins for the day and had asked if Allegra wanted to come along as well. But she politely declined and said that she would talk with them all later. She'd already made plans with someone else.

Draco and Allegra were walking down the street towards Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. Draco's arm was wrapped around Allegra's shoulder and Allegra had her hands buried in her jacket pockets. She smiled up at him as they arrived at the little shop and Draco opened the door for her.

"Thank you."

He just nodded and enveloped her hand in his. They were seated at one of the tables draped in a pink, frilly tablecloth and they ordered their tea and biscuits.

"Did you get to finish that project for Potions?" Draco asked, leaning on his arm.

"I tried, but I got a bit behind in my Advanced Charms work," Allegra sighed. "I feel like I've disappointed Professor Flitwick."

"Well, I probably can't help you with the Charms homework, but I can do my best to help you through the Potions project if you want me to."

Allegra smiled brightly and leaned across the table to give Draco a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks." The tea arrived at the table. Allegra picked up the china cup and took a deep sniff of the steam. A soft smile spread across her lips.

Draco narrowed his eyes and smirked. Allegra was so amused by the little things. He remembered the Christmas that seemed ages ago when he had first realized that Allegra had a crush on him. He chuckled as he recalled how she flopped over in the snow and started making a snow angel.

"What're you laughing at?" Allegra asked.

"Nothing, love," Draco snickered, resting his hand on hers. "Just remembering last Christmas."

Allegra looked down into her tea and smiled. She remembered when she had introduced Draco to Mr. Cuddles and how he had cowered in terror. He was kind of cute when he was scared.

Draco glanced out the window and saw a couple walk by, the witch giggling and admiring the wizard's newly acquired broomstick. "What do you think about our odds for Slytherin this Quidditch season?"

He thought about the first time that Allegra had come to watch a match when they were secretly together. His face burned a bit at the thought of how he had exploded at her when she was just trying to make sure that he was okay. His grip tightened around Allegra's fingers.

"Slytherin's going to win! I can feel it this year!" Allegra grinned, ignoring Draco's sudden tenseness. "I'll have to start planning my pride outfits." She sipped her tea and took a bite of a fluffy, delightful biscuit which had just arrived at their table.

"I'm glad you have such confidence in our team this season," Draco laughed, shaking the memory of his sharp words out of his head.

"Well, our house has the best seeker." Allegra giggled and winked.

She remembered how the wind blew through Draco's hair as he streaked across the sky, his arm reached out for a sphere of gold. A shiver went down her spine. But then, something else came to her mind. She remembered watching Draco plummet from the sky. Her stomach lurched. She could hear him yelling at her and she gripped the table cloth. Her eyes squeezed shut as she remembered the weekly fights that she would have with the boy sitting across the table from her.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked.

"Nothing," Allegra sniffed. Her mood was swiftly changing. As much as she tried to contain her tears, she soon found herself crying into her cup. Then, suddenly, her tears of sadness melted into tears of anger and she threw the cup on the ground, the sound of shattering china only making her more agitated.

Draco quickly stood up from his chair and practically dragged Allegra into a concealed corner of the tea shop. He held her close and kissed her forehead, stroking her hair as she cried and struggled against him.

"Everything's okay, love," he whispered. "Calm down."

His soothing voice reached Allegra's ears. Her heart rate slowed down and she found her fighting to be more tiring than helpful. She hiccupped a few times before sighing and resting her head on Draco's chest, letting his heartbeat lull her into an emotionless state.

"Are you balanced?" he asked. He felt her head nod against him. "This is going to take a little getting-used to. But we'll have a system worked out soon to keep you from hurting yourself and others, okay?" He felt Allegra nod again. "And I promise, Allegra, I will never leave you again."

Allegra cuddled closer to Draco and slipped her fingers around the locket.


	52. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hey, gang! Comickazi13, here! I really hope you liked this story. I personally think it's one of the best fanfictions I have ever written. Of course, it does have its problems. But honestly, what piece of writing doesn't have a few flaws here and there? Nothing is perfect. I'm actually just really happy that you read through the whole thing! Thanks for reading!

Yours truly,

Comickazi13


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